When patients in Illinois or elsewhere visit a medical facility for care, one of the first steps to choosing a path of care may involve accurately diagnosing their health conditions. Unfortunately, things do not always go as planned and errors in the diagnostic process run the risk of placing the health of a patient at significant risk. Studies indicate that diagnostic errors continue to prove common and similar forms of medical malpractice affect the well-being and lives of many patients.
Types of diagnostic errors
According to studies, there are several types of diagnostic errors, each of which could have a significant influence on a patient’s well-being. With an inaccurate diagnosis, a patient may be diagnosed with the wrong health condition altogether and the path of treatment that follows may do little to help treat one’s condition. A delayed diagnosis could cause a patient to go for extended periods without receiving the necessary care and this delay might cause one’s condition to worsen with time.
Studies state that a missed diagnosis may occur should doctors fail to detect the presence of a medical condition. Such errors may cause a patient to go without any type of treatment and health conditions left undetected and untreated may pose a dire threat to one’s health. According to studies, diagnostic errors may also be more common with certain health conditions, such as infections or cancer.
The result
Regardless of how it occurs, diagnostic errors are a form of medical malpractice that could wreak havoc on a person’s life. Individuals in Illinois who suffer serious harm or lose someone close due to similar types of negligence may wish to exercise their rights to seek restitution but navigating the civil justice system can be a complex process. Fortunately, there are attorneys who can evaluate the situation a person is facing and assist him or her in preparing to seek the full amount of compensation entitled through the proper channels.
