A scary but true fact is that of all cases diagnosed world-wide, the rate of mis-diagnosis is 40%. This means that if you’ve been to a doctor, it’s only six times out of ten that your problem has been diagnosed correctly! It could be a case of mis-diagnosis or of missed diagnosis – both these are failures to diagnose illness, injury or medical condition.

Yet, in spite of these statistics, studies have shown that of all the reasons leading to claims of medical malpractice, the Number One reason for malpractice suits against doctors is that of failure to diagnose the problem or a delay in arriving at a conclusive diagnosis. The most common instances where this is alleged to have happened is in cases of cancer, heart attacks and meningitis (in children) and the most common outcome has been tragically, death. You will need the services of a reputed, experienced, knowledgeable team that includes a Richmond Hill personal injury lawyer (or one that’s local to your area across Ontario) to ensure that you get the maximum compensation.

Diagnosis

In simple terms, diagnosis is a process of arriving at a reason that explains the patient’s symptoms. It is performed by any health-care professional as the first line of treatment and successful treatment or management depends on accurate diagnosis. It is conducted by physicians, therapists, medical specialists, optometrist, scientists involved in health-care, dentists, nurses, nursing assistants, etc. The word comes from the Greek terms that mean “to know through” and the process involves a range of techniques. These range from physical examinations, investigating the patient’s history, testing of body fluids and emissions, chemical tests, other tests like scans, X-rays, imaging, etc.

The biggest challenge in diagnosis is that symptoms are often non-specific and common to many conditions/illnesses. Hence, a process of differential diagnosis is conducted, wherein a few options are considered and then eliminated according to the doctor’s experience and skills and constitutes a medical opinion, based on available facts. Though it may not cover other areas like causes and prevention, it provides useful leads to managing both these. In most cases, it is considered provisional and subject to change.

In ideal terms, a diagnosis should be a professional, objective and completely fact-based report. In reality, it is influenced by several other factors like ethics, power, financial status, doctor-patient relationship, communication, available resources, test results, knowledge and skill, experience, training etc.

Errors in Diagnosis

Medical statistics report that every person may experience at least one diagnostic error in their life-time and if they’re lucky, this could be for a minor issue. However, mis-diagnosis or failure to diagnose a severe condition can result in tragedy. They usually occur when the symptoms are not sufficiently conclusive, the doctor fails to take all options into consideration, too much or too little significance is given to any one aspect of diagnosis or the condition is extremely rare. If you or a loved one has been the victim of such a failure to diagnose, consult our 24×7 injury lawyers for a free evaluation of your claims.

In general, the lack of diagnosis may result in several issues:

• The doctor may become dismissive of your symptoms and attribute it to your own psychological problems or hypochondriac nature
• Doctors may give a false label or a “trash-can diagnosis” just to satisfy the patient
• The symptoms may worsen till you get a correct diagnosis
• You may receive symptomatic treatment which doesn’t address the underlying problem.

A personal injury lawyer can conduct their own investigations and establish the facts.

Failure to Diagnose – the Legal Perspective

As a patient, you consult a doctor with the full expectation that they would be able to correctly diagnose your problem and provide a plan for the right treatment. If you or a loved one has been the victim of a failure to diagnose, find a personal injury lawyer immediately, who has the skill and experience in the area of medical malpractice law. They would be able to assess your case, provide a genuine and practical evaluation of your claims, and assist you with the process of filing a suit for compensation.

Our free consultation injury lawyers can assist you with filing the claim in the stipulated time, along with gathering evidence, arranging for expert testimony and providing you with representation at all stages of the case. You require expert help from our experienced personal injury lawyers in dealing with insurers, hospital administrators and top-class legal minds that a large and financially strong institution can muster.

If you, your family or a friend has been injured in an accident, please feel free to speak to one of our injury lawyers for a free consultation about how we are able to assist in making a personal injury claim. We consult in all cities across Ontario with a no win no fee guarantee. Our personal injury lawyers have helped victims secure millions of dollars in personal injury cases. Call us Toll Free On our 24/7 Injury Hotline: 1 – 844 495 7333.