The standard of treatment you receive from the healthcare system should be of the highest standard. We place our trust in healthcare professionals, but, unfortunately, errors and mistakes can happen.*
The healthcare system is structured so that clinical specialists diagnose and treat your illness or disease in a swift manner by conducting the necessary tests, scans, scopes, diagnostic readings, and examinations. When this process fails, it may result in medical misdiagnosis.
Types of Medical Misdiagnosis
Medical misdiagnosis falls into three categories:
Incorrect diagnosis
This occurs when the medical professional fails to identity the illness or disease and may follow an incorrect course of treatment. A very common example of this is a failure to identify a fracture on an x-ray or scan.
Failure to diagnose
This involves the medical professional failing to identify the illness or disease in the patient presenting symptoms.
Delayed diagnosis
Delayed diagnosis occurs when the medical practitioner fails to correctly treat the symptoms at first instance, causing the patient to suffer with the illness or disease for a longer period, or even permanently.
Conditions Commonly Misdiagnosed
When we attend our doctors, we trust in their assessments of our medical issues. This makes a misdiagnosis a very serious and traumatic event. If your doctor has diagnosed your condition incorrectly or delayed your diagnosis, you may be entitled to make a claim. Among the conditions that can be misdiagnosed are:
- Strokes
- Meningitis
- Diabetes
- Ectopic pregnancy
- Broken bones
- Irritable bowel syndrome
- Epilepsy
- Cancer
How do I proceed with a case?
To pursue a case for medical misdiagnosis, the incorrect diagnosis, failed diagnosis, or delayed diagnosis must have caused you further injury, loss, or damage than would have occurred from the effects of the original illness or disease. If the medical misdiagnosis does not have any significant adverse effect, there is no claim for negligence.
At HOMS Assist, we make the process of investigating your case straightforward. With your authority, we will take up a copy of your medical records and engage with our panel of medical expert witnesses to review your medical records. If the expert is of the opinion that negligence has occurred, we will proceed with an action on your behalf.
Contact us today if you are concerned that you may have been the subject of a medical misdiagnosis.