When something is wrong and you go to a doctor, you expect that they will be able to figure out what is wrong and fix the problem. When they wrongly diagnose you, you deserve compensation for your injuries. Sometimes, the doctors fail to run tests, or misread results and get patients the wrong treatment. This not only delays the proper treatment, but also means extra surgeries and medicine they do not need. In many cases, treating the wrong illness or condition can make patients even sicker. If you or a loved one has suffered because of a doctor’s misdiagnosis, delayed diagnosis, or failure to diagnose, talk to an experienced Dallas medical malpractice attorney today. The Queenan Law Firm, P.C., has medical malpractice attorneys and handles wrongful death cases for its clients in Texas
Types of Wrongful Diagnosis Cases
When a doctor fails to correctly diagnose an illness, injury, or condition, patients receive poor treatment. In these cases, the doctors may be responsible when their patients get sicker. This is usually because they fail to find the correct diagnosis, take too long to diagnose, or actually give an incorrect diagnosis. The following explains each of these problems and their effects:
Failure to Diagnose
“Failure to diagnose” is when the doctor never finds a diagnosis. Usually, the patient either seeks a second opinion to get the right treatment, or passes away because the doctor could not diagnose the problem. Without a diagnosis, it is very difficult to start treating a patient, and failures to diagnose often end tragically.
When doctors fail to perform tests or misread test results, they should be held liable for the lack of treatment. In order to hold them accountable, you must prove that they should have been able to diagnose the condition. Just because they failed to diagnose a patient does not automatically mean they did something wrong; some conditions are just difficult to diagnose.
Delayed Diagnosis
If a doctor takes too long to come up with a diagnosis, the doctor can be held accountable for the patients worsening condition. Any decline in the patient’s condition during this delay is part of the damage the patient suffers. Anything that decline causes, such as a need for additional procedures or surgery, can be compensated.
Especially with conditions that require quick treatment, like cancer, heart attacks, and strokes, a delay in diagnosis can lead to severe harm. Sometimes, delaying a few hours or a few months can mean the difference between a patient’s recovery and death.
Misdiagnosis
When a doctor affirmatively gives an incorrect diagnosis, the effects on the patient may be even worse. The patient’s true condition goes untreated, but patients also receive treatment they do not need.
Although medicine and surgery usually help patients, giving a patient the wrong treatment can be harmful. Some medication, if it is not necessary for treatment, can make patients extremely sick. Moreover, unnecessary surgery can cause permanent injuries. For instance, cancer treatments often include chemotherapy. Chemo makes a patient very ill to destroy cancer cells. If a patient does not actually have cancer, the chemo just makes them extremely sick. Similarly, when doctors remove breasts, testicles, and any other body parts to fight cancer that does not actually exist, patients are left physically marred for life.
How Do I Get a Settlement for a Misdiagnosis?
When a doctor diagnoses a condition, injury, or illness, the doctor may rely on many test results, lab results, and their own training and experience. When lab results are tainted or machines like MRIs and X-Rays malfunction, the results can be terrible. These kinds of errors may not even be the doctor’s fault. Instead, the hospital or the lab might be responsible for these failures and your harms. In other cases, the doctor is the one responsible for the failures.
Our lawyers work with our clients to get them the maximum compensation they deserve. Many times, medical malpractice cases settle out of court. This means that the other side is willing to pay without the time and cost of a trial. The lawyers for the doctors and hospital offer settlements to injured patients to end cases quickly.
Never take a settlement offer without discussing it with an attorney first. Our experienced attorneys know what your injuries are worth, and can help guide you to take appropriate settlements. The lawyers for hospitals and doctors may offer low settlements to kill cases quickly. Instead, hiring a lawyer can help you negotiate the best settlement offer.
Dallas Medical Malpractice Attorneys Representing Misdiagnoses in Texas
Our Dallas personal injury attorneys are standing by for free consultations. To talk to an experienced medical malpractice lawyer about your bad diagnosis, call The Queenan Law Firm, P.C., today. We also work to help clients who have lost loved ones to medical negligence and bad diagnoses. Call us today at (817) 476-1797.