Florida Medical Malpractice: Doctor Misdiagnosis
Whenever you visit a medical professional, you have the fair expectation that you will receive competent medical treatment. Medical professionals have a legal obligation to provide adequate treatment. One of the duties professionals have, is that they must meet adequate quality standards when diagnosing your condition. Proper and timely diagnosis can save lives. Doctor misdiagnosis is one of the most common forms of medical malpractice in Florida. If you were misdiagnosed by a medical professional, and suffered harm as a result, you need to contact an experienced Tampa medical malpractice attorney immediately.
Negligent Misdiagnosis is Medical Malpractice
The existence of an inaccurate diagnosis alone is not enough to prove medical malpractice. It is also required that you prove that negligence was a factor in your misdiagnosis case. Negligence is the basis of most medical malpractice cases, and it occurs when the medical care you received was below the acceptable standards. Substandard medical care puts your health at serious risk. If you can prove that a prudent doctor, when placed under similar circumstances, would have correctly diagnosed your condition, then you have a viable medical malpractice case.
Proving Your Medical Malpractice Case
Medical malpractice cases, especially ones involving doctor misdiagnosis, are notoriously complex. Your medical malpractice attorney will help you gather and assemble the evidence necessary to prove that your misdiagnosis was the result of substandard treatment. Two examples of key evidence in these misdiagnosis cases are:
- Expert testimony: The medical field is specialized and technical. Expert testimony can be used to establish the required standard of care and how your doctor deviated from that standard. Most medical malpractice cases will include some form of expert testimony. Ultimately, the key issue is whether or not a different, competent, medical professional would have made the correct diagnosis under the same conditions. An expert witness will help you make that case.
- Review of the process: Medical professionals are required to follow a certain process when examining a patient and making a diagnosis. When a doctor gets sloppy, mistakes will often follow. For example, a method known as ‘differential diagnosis’ is commonly used by doctors to figure out what is wrong with a patient. Essentially, a doctor will compile a list of the patient’s symptoms, come up with a list of possible diagnoses, and will run tests to eliminate the possibilities one by one. Your doctor has a legal obligation to run adequate medical tests. For example, sometimes a doctor will take a shortcut and will fail to run a blood test. Maybe that blood test could have prevented the misdiagnosis, but the doctor took a shortcut instead. Your attorney will review the process the medical professional used to determine if any malpractice occurred.
Contact An Experienced Tampa Medical Malpractice Attorney
An incorrect medical diagnosis can cause great suffering for innocent patients. A negligent misdiagnosis will often create new health issues while leaving your condition completely untreated. Misdiagnosis is medical malpractice and the victims deserve full and fair compensation. At The Pawlowski//Mastrilli Law Group, we have extensive experience fighting for the victims of Tampa medical malpractice. Call our office today at 813-242-4404 to schedule a free initial consultation.
