Diagnostic errors occupy a significant proportion of confrontational happenings in any hospital practice. Studies show that such errors exceed the percentage of medication errors. This is evident by type 1&2 diabetes diagnostic errors.
It’s clinically possible for an individual suffering from type 2 diabetes to be misdiagnosed. A Patient may present with conditions that are closely related to type 2 diabetes but have another condition. Unfortunately, many physicians don’t differentiate between type 1 diabetes from type 2 diabetes and this breeds serious lifetime consequences
If you were diagnosed with the wrong type of diabetes or your diagnosis was delayed, this could form a medical malpractice claim.
Getting compensation will not undo the misdiagnosis, but it will surely offer support to ensure you handle your situation emotionally and financially.
Could You Have Been Misdiagnosed?
Diabetes is a condition that not only requires care and support but a lifetime of medications. Meaning, you will need to be financially stable to get medical support. Although symptoms for diabetes type 1&2 are somehow similar, such as frequent urination, blurred visions, increased thirst and so on, a qualified doctor can pay attention to some unique differences. When treatment is delayed, the patient may be exposed to other nasty risks.
Type 1&2 diabetes has the same diagnosis. If you have diabetes symptoms, you are requested to take a urine test. Where it’s positive, you are then subjected to a blood test, which indicates whether you are suffering from diabetes.
Misdiagnosis occurs when a healthcare professional diagnoses you based on your symptoms and conducts a test but comes up with a wrong diagnosis. Then this brings up the question of whether the health is professional did so due to negligence. According to Alaska basic requirement for a medical malpractice claim, you have to base your claim on the below basis:
- That you had already established a physician- patient relationship by explaining your condition and your doctor accepting to treat you. According to the US National Library of Medicine, when a patent approaches a physician, they expect treatment with the notion that the doctor possesses the required skills and knowledge to ease their condition. This takes the form of a contract between the two, and any breach means one can be held liable.
- Negligence in diagnosis: The diagnosis doctor owes you a duty to diagnose your conditions. The doctor also has a duty to obtain prior informed consent before starting your diabetes diagnostic test or treatment. When such obligations are breached, then this calls for legal action.
- You suffered injuries: If your condition has been a misdiagnosis, you have to suffer harm. For instance, people with type 2 diabetes are always misdiagnosed. Such a person may have another condition presenting with type 2 diabetes symptoms. The condition is normally referred to as latent autoimmune diabetes in adults (LADA). When presenting such claims, you must have a medical expert to prove that negligence caused you harm.
When it’s clear that negligence was involved in your diabetes diagnoses, then you will be entitled to a diabetes misdiagnosis claim.
Once you learn of your misdiagnoses, proper medical care must be adhered to. Otherwise, the mistake could lead to more damage.
If your doctor could only have diagnosed your condition properly, you may have had a better health outcome than what may be facing you.
Filing Your Diabetes Misdiagnosis Claim
If you believe in being misdiagnosed, you need to meet the best lawyer for personal injury for legal advice. Your doctor may not have any valid reason why they incorrectly dismissed your condition or misdiagnosed your symptoms. Diabetes misdiagnosis is life-threatening and can breed nerve damages, strokes, heart diseases etc. Thus you may need to conduct a free initial consultation with an experienced medical malpractice lawyer who has dealt with multiple misdiagnosis cases and know how difficult life can be due to such a medical error. Such a lawyer will help you understand the basis of your claim.
In some cases, misdiagnosis may be fatal. When a death occurs due to negligence, family members may file a medical malpractice claim.
As a patient, you deserve the right medical diagnosis from a hospital and doctors. When such responsible parties don’t perform their duties as per the expected standard, a breach occurs. This paves the way for you to seek damages from the hospital or the doctor in question. Some examples of what you may receive include:
- Medical bills to cater for any medical costs for medications
- Mental suffering
- Time lost off work
Though a medical doctor cannot always be able to save a life, he/she should use knowledge and skills in a standard manner. Thus, it’s expected for such a doctor to carry out any diagnosis or investigations property or seek informed consent from the patient if the condition is not an emergency. Failure to conduct or discharge the amount of the necessary obligation amounts to a medical negligence.
Look For An Experienced Medical Malpractice Lawyer
You do have to medically suffer because a doctor was not careful enough to diagnose your condition. Getting compensated will ensure you still move on with your life.
Your lawyer will work alongside medical experts to bring out a favorable outcome of your diabetes case.
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