Different types of medical negligence happen in medical settings, including misdiagnosis. Physicians are trained to follow a diagnostic process to provide a patient with top-notch care. However, some may fail to do this, leading to a misdiagnosis.
Below are three consequences that a misdiagnosed patient can experience:
1. Worsening of the actual condition
When a patient is misdiagnosed, the actual issue won’t be identified and treated. Accordingly, it can worsen. And some diseases can be incurable when they get to later stages.
2. Prescription of the wrong medications
A misdiagnosis means a patient will be prescribed the wrong medication. It can be dangerous for a patient to take medications for a condition they don’t have. This can lead to organ failure or even death. Cases of kidney and liver damage in association with the wrong medication have been reported.
3. Confusion
With the wrong medication, the condition in question will not improve. If anything, one may experience harmful side effects. This can lead to confusion. It can be stressful to take prescribed medication and finish them, and still not feel better.
What should you do?
If you discover you were misdiagnosed, perhaps you changed doctors after failing to see improvements, and they identify the actual condition, you should obtain more information about your case. Gather all the documents your doctor gave you and assess them. You may also reach out to the hospital to get other related data. You should then consider your legal options.
If you lost a loved one due to a misdiagnosis, it will help to gather evidence and help fight for their rights.
Medical malpractice cases can be complicated, as they involve several elements that should be proven. If you have experienced this, you may need to get legal guidance to receive the compensation you deserve.