When we visit a doctor, we usually expect either diagnosis or treatment. If we don’t know our health issue, then we go there for a diagnostic as well as for advice, and when we know our problem, we seek treatment from doctors.
However, things are not always as they should be. It is usually due to wrongful actions or negligence that medical malpractice becomes the topic of more than just a conversation. Doctors can lose their license, court trials, and much more.
On top of that, your health is at stake, as well. Medical malpractice doesn’t affect the doctor as much as it affects the patient. If you were to consult with medical malpractice attorneys, you’d see that every single one of them takes such matters very seriously.
Therefore, in today’s article, we’ll show you the top signs of medical malpractice – the signs that can help you take care of your health properly. Still, we strongly recommend that you look for professional medical malpractice attorneys that can provide you with much more help and information!
Failure to Diagnose
Among the most common types of medical malpractice, we have the failure to diagnose. In short, a doctor dismisses the symptoms of a patient, and, as a result, the patient’s disease is not diagnosed at all.
The complications can vary widely. A simple toothache may turn into an abscess that will require a visit to the dentist, while a severe stomach ache can very well get you into surgery.
The failure to diagnose a patient can put the latter in life-threatening situations. This is why it is the doctor’s responsibility to accurately diagnose their patient – on time and not delayed – to treat them effectively.
Lack of Informed Consent
As you may know very well, when you are given a specific treatment for your disease, the doctor has to explain to you precisely what the treatment does and what complications or side-effects you should expect.
Many times, doctors don’t divulge everything there is about a particular treatment or surgery, thus making the patient take potential risks they didn’t know about.
If something happens to the patient after the doctor is given a treatment to them, and the patient cannot explain the reason for their complication, then they have a malpractice case on their hands.
In this case, the patient must prove that they were either not informed or misinformed by their doctor.
Misdiagnosis
This type of medical malpractice comes with more than just a couple of things that one has to worry about. Misdiagnosis not only makes a patient take the wrong treatment but also leaves their undiagnosed disease untreated.
- A wrong diagnosis means that the patient’s symptoms were not properly assessed and that they are going to receive treatment for a different condition – not for what they have.
- The treatment they receive may come in the form of medication or surgery. In both cases, the results can be fatal. If you are given medication and/or dosage that your body can’t handle, then you’ll know – and you’ll return to your doctor.
- Naturally, a misdiagnosis may also cause your initial condition to deteriorate further and maybe even make it untreatable. You should always check your symptoms with the diagnosis given by your doctor and make sure that they fit.
The Bottom Line
Whenever we receive medical advice, treatment, council, and so on, we always have to keep a close eye on our health. The slightest change in symptoms may be a sign of medical malpractice.
Moreover, even if we are not doctors, we can still use a bit of the internet or rely on a second opinion if we believe that our diagnosis or treatment is wrong. In any case, given the current state of the world, it is better to be cautious when it comes to your health – even if you are consulting with professionals!
