Failure to Diagnose
Most people have heard of the term medical malpractice and have a general understanding of what it entails. While it makes sense that malpractice would involve a doctor misdiagnosing an illness or disorder, providing ineffective or dangerous treatment options or making mistakes during surgery, there is another area of malpractice that many people are not familiar with. This lesser known injury under the malpractice umbrella is known as failure to diagnose.
When Doctors Fail to Diagnose
It is the duty of a physician to observe the symptoms of a patient as well as listen closely to any additional symptoms that a patient may complain of which cannot be outwardly detected. If a serious illness is not detected despite the presence of obvious symptoms, the medical professional can be sued for failure to diagnose.
Dispute the fact that many people are not aware of failure to diagnose as a medical malpractice area, these cases make up about 40 percent of all medical malpractice claims. This is not all that surprising when the deadly effects of failure to diagnose are considered.
Catching any illness early on can be the difference between life and death. The stakes are very high when it comes to diagnosing disease.
Who can be Held Liable in these Cases?
Among the medical staff members who can be held liable in medical malpractice claims are:
- Doctors
- Nurse Practitioners
- Dentists
Contact Us
If you or a loved one has been a victim of medical malpractice, contact the Sheboygan medical malpractice lawyers of Habush Habush & Rottier, S.C. at 800-242-2874 to learn more about your legal options.