People in Delaware and other states put a significant amount of trust in their doctors. After all, these professionals have studied and practiced for many years and should know best. However, doctors are fallible, and misdiagnosis or another error could aggravate a patient’s real medical condition.
Every year, about 12 million of the 883 million patients who see doctors nationwide are misdiagnosed. When this happens, it does not only affect the patients’ health but also their pockets. Fortunately, medical expenses and other financial losses after the wrong treatment might be recoverable through the civil justice system.
Errors in diagnoses can result from a doctor’s failure to investigate symptoms or run the correct tests thoroughly. Tests and symptoms are sometimes misinterpreted or misread. Some symptoms are similar for different illnesses, and doctors must ensure they associate symptoms with the right condition.
The following illnesses are among those that are frequently misdiagnosed:
- Heart attacks
- Asthma
- Lyme disease
- Lupus
- Parkinson’s disease
Patients who are victims of doctors’ negligence typically have many questions about their legal rights to recover damages and how to proceed.
The best way to proceed in such circumstances in Delaware is to consult with an experienced medical malpractice attorney. Legal counsel can assess the viability of a lawsuit and assist with the difficult task of establishing negligence. Gathering the necessary documents is just one of the difficulties that are easier for lawyers to achieve. Furthermore, an expert witness might be required to prove misdiagnosis. The attorney can advocate for the client throughout ensuing legal proceedings to pursue financial and other losses.