Delayed Diagnosis: When Medical Mistakes Lead to Serious Harm

Weeks or months spent in a physician’s care searching for answers can end with devastating effects due to delayed diagnosis. Medicine is not an exact science. However, medical mistakes that delay a diagnosis may injure or sicken you or someone you care for, even leading to preventable death.

Medical malpractice cases arising from delayed diagnosis are complex but not impossible to prove. The Philadelphia medical malpractice lawyers at Lopez McHugh LLP are compassionate and dedicated to providing the highest legal advocacy if a delayed diagnosis causes you serious harm. Below, we look at factors of delayed diagnosis when medical mistakes lead to serious harm.

How Common Is Delayed Diagnosis?

A recent publication by the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) shares the startling commonality of delayed diagnosis. A study of 2428 patients indicates that 23% of the study group experienced a missed or delayed diagnosis. The medical mistakes result in temporary or permanent harm to 17% of the individuals.

Causes of Delayed Diagnosis

A delay in diagnosis may result from multiple factors in a patient’s care. Regardless, the outcome often leads to significant patient harm. Delayed diagnosis may occur due to:

• Lack of or poor communication between a doctor and a patient
• Lack of experience in diagnosing a particular disease
• A physician’s overconfidence in their diagnostic ability
• Failure to order necessary testing
• Errors in interpreting diagnostic tests
• Poor medical documentation
• Lack of communication between medical staff
• Misdiagnosing an illness

Determining the cause of damages is crucial to pursuing a medical malpractice claim in Philadelphia and New Jersey. More than one party may be liable for the damages you or a loved one experiences.

Delayed Diagnosis of Severe Medical Conditions

Successfully recovering from any illness often depends on getting immediate care. Delays in treatment lasting weeks or months may permanently compromise your health or result in wrongful death. A study of diagnostic errors resulting from a delay or missing a diagnosis of these health conditions to can cause serious harm to patients:

• Infection: Sepsis, pneumonia, spinal abscess, endocarditis, meningitis, encephalitis
• Vascular: Stroke, venous thromboembolism, myocardial infarction (heart attack), arterial thromboembolism, aortic embolism, aortic dissection
• Cancer: Breast, lung, colorectal, melanoma, prostate

Not all medical mistakes are the result of medical malpractice. However, discussing a medical mistake, such as a delayed diagnosis, with a medical malpractice lawyer on our team in Pennsylvania or New Jersey can determine if pursuing legal action is possible.

Long-Term Effects of Delayed Diagnosis

A delayed diagnosis can produce a ripple effect throughout your life. Its impact on patient outcomes may be far-reaching. Working with a medical malpractice attorney in Philadelphia may allow you to receive compensation for the following damages after proving negligence.

Physical Consequences

A delayed diagnosis may lead to poor health and treatment outcomes. The extensive use of medications, additional surgeries, and treatments can lead to organ damage and other medical conditions and increase morbidity. A delayed diagnosis of aggressive illnesses like cancer or sepsis may ultimately result in death.

Emotional and Psychological Consequences

Overwhelming bouts of anxiety, depression, and anger can be equally as devastating to patients as their physical battles. A delayed diagnosis may create a sense of helplessness and a lack of trust in receiving medical care, severely reducing quality of life. The mental health impacts of medical mistakes are costly but often go unaccounted for without experienced legal advocacy.

Financial Consequences

Prolonged treatment increases medical costs, and many patients are unable to work during treatment, resulting in lost wages, benefits, and other resources. Covering day-to-day living costs and daily chores can become impossible. Medical debt is typical, and current estimates by KFF.org show that US patients owe a combined amount of at least $220 billion.

Liability for Delayed Diagnosis of a Medical Condition

Holding a negligent party accountable for your damages may be possible, but to do so, you must determine who is liable for a delayed diagnosis. One or more individuals or entities may be responsible, owing you for your financial costs, the emotional and physical pain you endure, and other damages. Some potential parties include:

• The doctor responsible for your care
• Healthcare staff, including nurses or nurse practitioners
• Lab and X-ray technicians
• Medical imaging professionals and radiologists
• A hospital or care center’s administrative personnel

A hospital’s administration owes patients a duty of care to hire qualified practitioners. The initial thought that fault for a delayed diagnosis solely belongs to a diagnosing physician is not always correct. While medical staff play a crucial role in your care, hiring competent providers can eliminate significant medical challenges, like delayed diagnosis, that many patients encounter.

Showing Negligence in a Delayed Diagnosis Case

To verify negligence in medical malpractice claims, you must effectively demonstrate that the at-fault party failed to uphold the standard of care in diagnosing your condition or illness. Our Philadelphia medical malpractice attorneys understand the overwhelming circumstances you face when proving medical negligence.

Our extensive work pursuing accountability for medical malpractice, working with medical experts, and evaluating patient damages provides our firm with unique insight into how these claims work and your right to compensation. We collect evidence showing what happened, who is to blame, and how you have been affected by the delayed diagnosis.

Preventing Delayed Diagnosis

You are a critical member of your healthcare team. Take these steps to help prevent a delay in diagnosis and receive the care you deserve:

• Prepare: Make notes about your symptoms before an appointment. Failure to share vital information can delay a diagnosis.
• Ask: Present your caregiver with questions about your care and a diagnosis. Question what tests are available for diagnosis, and follow through with diagnostic testing.
• Follow up: Contact your doctor and their team to share any lingering concerns or unimproved symptoms after your initial visit or treatment.

Seek a second opinion when a physician dismisses your concerns or your symptoms persist. Studies show that second opinions have the potential to improve diagnosis accuracy and treatment outcomes.

Discuss a Philadelphia Delayed Diagnosis Causing Serious Harm

The medical malpractice lawyers at Lopez McHugh LLP serve clients throughout Pennsylvania and New Jersey who experience the harmful impacts of delayed diagnosis. Schedule a free consultation to determine if you have a medical malpractice claim and how we can help. Our team offers over 50 years of combined legal experience.