When we go to the doctor, we trust them to properly assess and diagnose us. There are times, however, when a medical professional is negligent in their duties and fails to diagnose a patient. At Soloff & Zervanos, P.C., we know this can have devastating results for a patient. We are here to help when you need a Philadelphia failure to diagnose lawyer. Our knowledgeable and experienced medical malpractice attorneys will investigate what happened in order to secure the compensation you truly deserve.
No medical professional is perfect, and there are times when mistakes are made, and nobody is to blame. However, you may not know that medical mistakes are the third leading cause of death in the United States. According to researchers at Johns Hopkins, around 250,000 people are killed each year due to medical errors.
There are various ways that these medical mistakes occur, but one of the most harmful mistakes a person can experience is a mistake made during the diagnosis. Specifically, a failure to diagnose an injury or illness can lead to further complications or death for a patient.
Johns Hopkins researchers go on to say that diagnostic errors cause the most patient harm of all medical mistakes. They also account for the largest fraction of all medical malpractice claims in the country. Researchers say that a “misdiagnosis leads to significant permanent injury or death in as many as 80,000 to 160,000 patients annually.”
Those numbers are astounding. Why do medical professionals fail to diagnose a patient so often?
When we look at the causes of a failure to diagnose, we see that the problems often begin when a doctor or nurse fails to obtain a complete medical history for the patient. This is important, and it includes a patient’s:
Doctors and nurses should never fail to perform necessary scans and tests that are indicated by the symptoms a patient is presenting. They should never assume that they know what the problem is (or the absence of a problem) unless they perform the tests necessary to confirm.
A failure to diagnose is more likely to happen when a doctor is not properly trained or is overworked. An attorney in Philadelphia could investigate the cause of a failure to diagnose.
When you or someone you love has been the victim of a medical mistake, you should seek legal assistance as soon as possible. One of the most common medical errors is a failure to diagnose, and the team at Soloff & Zervanos, P.C. is ready to step in and investigate your case. Our goal is to secure the compensation you need, including:
If you need a Philadelphia failure to diagnose lawyer, you can contact us for a free consultation.