Physician Errors: When Is A Failure To Diagnose Considered Negligence?

When patients are sick, they place a lot of trust in their doctor. Physicians must be able to promptly and accurately diagnose a condition or illness so patients can receive the treatment they need right away. Sometimes, doctors and other health care professionals make mistakes. They do not always identify illnesses right away and when that is the case, patients can suffer serious harm. When this happens, it is often a case of medical malpractice. Patients who have been hurt or become sicker due to a doctor’s failure to diagnose should with an experienced medical malpractice attorney for help pursuing a personal injury claim.

Is Failure To Diagnose Physician Negligence?

A failure to diagnose is not always negligence, meaning that not all missed diagnoses will give rise to a medical malpractice lawsuit. Sometimes, doctors must use a method of trial and error before they can come to an accurate diagnosis. This does not necessarily mean that they are negligent. However, when doctors do not take the same duty of care that another doctor would have, their actions could constitute negligence.

Usually, plaintiffs, or injured patients, must use expert testimony to prove that a physician was negligent. They typically do this with the assistance of their attorney who will reach out to a network of experts to testify to the fact that the doctor in the case was negligent.

Did You Suffer Harm From A Failed Diagnosis?

Every patient should be able to trust that they will receive the best possible care from their physician. If you have not received the standard care and have suffered for it, call Willoughby Law Firm, Inc., at 415-870-2778 for a free case evaluation. Attorney Markus Willoughby has won countless awards for his skill and expertise in the field of medical malpractice. Lawyers throughout California and the nation rely on his knowledge in some of their most challenging medical malpractice cases.