The “duty to diagnose” is one of the foundational obligations that doctors owe to their patients. This duty includes responsibilities such as ordering appropriate tests, referring patients to appropriate specialists, ruling out severe differential diagnoses, and acting upon concerning test results in an appropriate amount of time.
When a doctor delays in making an appropriate diagnosis, there can be serious consequences for their patient. This is especially true in cases concerning progressive diseases such as cancer, or acute emergencies such as spinal cord compression or stroke, where a delay in diagnosis results in a delay in potentially life-saving treatment. The earlier a condition is identified, the greater the likelihood that the patient can overcome the condition.
Wagners is a serious injury law firm that focuses on representing people who have suffered catastrophic injuries as a result of medical malpractice. Our medical negligence lawyers have experience representing patients who have been irreparably harmed by a delayed or mistaken diagnosis.
If your medical condition has progressed as a result of a physician’s delay in ordering appropriate tests, imaging, providing referrals, or otherwise arriving at an accurate diagnosis, you may have a viable case in medical negligence.
Failure to diagnose/delayed diagnosis cases can arise from many different situations, such as emergency room errors where patients are discharged without first ordering necessary tests and imaging, family physicians who fail to provide specialist referrals in the face of clinically concerning symptoms, or radiological errors where concerning test results are overlooked or poorly communicated. Delays in making a timely and appropriate diagnosis can allow serious medical conditions to progress unnoticed, leading to further harm, injury, or even death.
Oftentimes, the injuries arising from delayed diagnosis cases can be life-long and catastrophic. Patients who have suffered as a result of delayed diagnosis can require ongoing medical care and services that are costly and difficult to access, such as specialist care, home care services, additional surgeries, prosthetics, adaptive aids, mobility aids, and more. Further, these catastrophic injuries may affect a patient’s future treatment, ability to work and earn income, ability to live independently, or contribute to their household.
When a patient is injured, unable to continue working, and requires costly care as a result of medical negligence, they should not have to bear those costs on their own. The experienced medical malpractice lawyers at Wagners can help you access the financial compensation needed to support your mobility, independence, and quality of life.
The lawyers at Wagners have the legal experience and skills necessary to identify where and how your healthcare providers failed to appropriately diagnose your condition. We have experience representing patients in cases involving:
Diagnostic delays can have many causes, but all have the same effect: delaying patient access to appropriate care and treatment. Some common causes for delayed diagnosis include:
The earlier a condition is detected, the better a patient’s chance of overcoming the injury or illness.
If you have been seriously injured, please contact a lawyer at Wagners to discuss your case. You can reach our team by calling 902-425-7330 or by completing a short online contact form.
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