February 16, 2016

Failure to correctly diagnose an illness constitutes medical malpractice near Washington, D.C. Many people needlessly suffer serious health consequences when a physician’s diagnosis error leads to incorrect treatment, delayed treatment, or no treatment at all. If you have suffered harm because your physician was negligent, you may have a medical malpractice case. Talk to an attorney if you believe your health care provider acted unreasonably, if your physician relied on incorrect test results, or if you suffered serious harm.medical malpractice - robinson law firm

Unreasonable Care

Health care providers make mistakes, and some illnesses are difficult to diagnose. Medical malpractice arises when a health care provider fails to act as a reasonable health care provider would have acted in diagnosing similar symptoms in a similar patient. To minimize mistakes, most health care providers use the differential method to create a list of all possible diagnoses. From there, the health care provider orders tests and crosses off symptoms and possible illnesses. If a physician failed to use this method, you have a stronger legal case for medical neglect, as he or she may have not exercised the proper case.

Incorrect Tests

You should also talk to an attorney if you believed that physician error was a result of inaccurate laboratory tests, radiology films, or other procedures. Sometimes, diagnostic equipment is faulty, and samples can be contaminated or mixed up. Additionally, technicians can use improper procedures. If the test results are inaccurate or were read inaccurately, the hospital or healthcare provider may be liable for medical negligence.

Harm

To collect damages for medical errors, a patient must suffer harm. Malpractice cases can stem from health consequences, including physical pain, prolonged illness, and emotional suffering. Whether your symptoms worsened or failed to improve due to physician error or you received defective drugs, your health must have been adversely affected for a medical malpractice claim to succeed.

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