What does a misdiagnosis look like?

We often talk about cases where someone was misdiagnosed by a medical professional. These cases can be extremely stressful because the victim may not be able to treat a condition properly if they do not know the facts. This situation can happen in many different ways.

For some people, it may be that the medical professional diagnosed them with the wrong ailment, causing them to put money and energy into treating the wrong condition. For others, the main issue may be that the doctor dismissed the patient’s concerns and told them there was no ailment in the first place. This can often happen if the proper medical tests are not ordered and the patient is not properly examined.

Finally, an individual may actually be diagnosed with a very serious condition that they do not actually have. Imagine being told that you have cancer and then later getting a second opinion just to find out that you are actually cancer-free. It seems unlikely, but it has happened before.

As patients we trust our medical professionals to know what they are doing and to recognize symptoms of common conditions. We also trust them to advise us of the best steps to take in order to diagnose and treat our ailments. While not every case of misdiagnosis will involve negligence, there will definitely be some cases where the doctor did not provide the expected standard of care that would have been provided by another physician or medical professional. In these cases, it may be beneficial to learn about your legal rights.