When we’re ill and unsure of what’s wrong, we visit our primary care physician, who will ask us questions about our condition. After carefully evaluating our symptoms, they’ll come up with a diagnosis.
Our illness or condition will be treated, and eventually, we’ll return to good as new again. Generally, this is how healthcare works. We seek medical care, and we get well. Unfortunately, this isn’t always the case.
Sometimes doctors get it wrong and treat us for an ailment we don’t have.
Looking for legal assistance in Miami, USA? If you’re a patient who suspects they’ve received the wrong type of treatment, contact a Miami misdiagnosis attorney now. You may be eligible for compensation.
5 Common Types of Medical Misdiagnosis
A medical misdiagnosis is an error in judgment where a doctor strays from the expected standard of care. While most physicians uncover the correct diagnosis through careful analysis of symptoms and lab results, they sometimes get it completely wrong.
Being treated for a condition you don’t have can be dangerous. Your symptoms could worsen and go untreated, leading to multiple severe health issues. Or worse, you’re not treated at all.
Unfortunately, patients with limited healthcare insurance could be misdiagnosed by an unethical doctor or medical facility simply because they didn’t order the required tests for a proper diagnosis.
Here’s a look at the five most common medical conditions frequently misdiagnosed.
Heart Attack: Not all heart attacks come with the classic pain in the chest scenario. A heart attack’s symptoms can vary and sometimes are misdiagnosed as indigestion. Unfortunately, more female victims of heart attacks are misdiagnosed than men.
Cancer: Without looking at a patient’s entire medical history and questioning them about their family’s medical history, a cancer diagnosis could be missed entirely. Cancer symptoms are exponentially numerous, and without scheduling the appropriate tests, misdiagnoses are bound to happen.
Celiac Disease: Celiac Disease symptoms can vary significantly from one person to the next, which makes it an often undiagnosed health issue. Many sufferers have been misdiagnosed for years, damaging the patient’s small intestine.
Celiac is often misdiagnosed as IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome).
Lyme Disease: The early Lyme Disease symptoms are similar to many other conditions, making this bacterial infection sometimes challenging to diagnose. If left untreated, it can lead to palsy (facial), rashes, headaches, and arthritis.
Pulmonary Embolism: A pulmonary embolism is usually the result of a blood clot getting lodged in the pulmonary artery. This dangerous condition is often misdiagnosed as asthma or pneumonia.
How To Seek Justice in Florida for a Medical Misdiagnosis
A medical misdiagnosis could happen for many different reasons. Sometimes it comes down to an overworked doctor rushing through patients or an unscrupulous one who sees that a patient is underinsured.
Regardless of the reason, the State of Florida allows those injured by a delayed or misdiagnosis to file a malpractice claim to obtain reimbursement for their damages.
It’s important to note that Florida’s statute of limitations for these cases is a mere two years from the discovery of the misdiagnosis, so it’s better to be working with a lawyer sooner rather than later.
The burden of proof will be upon the victim to prove that both doctors were negligent by not correctly diagnosing the condition and not affording the expected standard of care and that their medical error caused you harm.
What To Expect When Filing a Medical Misdiagnosis Lawsuit
To prove negligence and injury, your lawyer will assist you with gathering all of your medical documents and bills to use as medical evidence. This can be time-consuming, so working with a lawyer to help you with this chore will be incredibly helpful.
Your lawyer will also have to obtain an Affidavit of Merit. This statement from a medical expert who believes medical malpractice did occur is required to file a medical malpractice lawsuit.
Next, comes the defendant or defendants’ notifying of your intent to file a malpractice claim. They’ll have 90 days to respond. Once they’ve responded to your claim or the 90 days have passed, your lawyer will file the suit in the Florida civil court.
The case could be settled during the discovery phase of the suit when both parties meet to share evidence, or it could go to trial.
Common Types of Medical Misdiagnosis and What To Do if It Happens to You
Regardless of how or why a healthcare professional misdiagnosed your condition, if it caused you injury or harm, you’re entitled to seek compensation for your damages. Some of the most common misdiagnoses deal with cancer and heart attacks, needing quick and proper treatment.
If you’ve been injured due to a misdiagnosis, contact an experienced medical malpractice attorney. A case like this is far too complex to file on your own.