Misdiagnosis is a common form of clinical neglect and covers a wide range of topics. An incorrect diagnosis usually manifests itself in two ways: completely unrecognized – the doctor or specialist does not notice and does not recognize the problem or incorrect diagnosis. Can I sue the NHS for misdiagnosis?
Some examples of incorrect medical diagnosis
Below are a few cases of misdiagnosis that we dealt with.
- Undiagnosed fractures
- Misdiagnosed leading to delayed cancer treatment
- Incorrect diagnosis leading to the removal of important organs.
- Delayed diagnosis of diabetes leading to long-term complications
- Undiagnosed internal trauma after a road accident
How does the wrong diagnosis come about?
In most cases, incorrect medical diagnosis results from:
- Delay in making the correct diagnosis
- Making an incorrect diagnosis based on the correct information
- Incorrect reading or incomplete understanding of test results
- By jumping to the wrong conclusion before all evidence is collected
- Incorrect listening to the patient; or
- Failure to recognize that the diagnosis does not fully explain the patient’s symptoms.
In many cases you have sought medical advice because you suspect that something is wrong or you feel unwell. Although you may have a general idea of what is wrong, you need professional advice from your doctor. This will be initially from your family doctor, dentist, nurse or paramedic, depending on your symptoms.
Can I apply for compensation?
To file a medical negligence claim, the mistake must fall below an acceptable standard of care. The legal test in this regard is strict and requires that clinical decisions are not supported by a reasonable group of medical opinions.
In many cases, the complexity of a given drug means that there are reasonable differences of opinion in your case. If so, you need expert advice from a medical negligence lawyer to win.
Once you can prove it, you must show that you have suffered injuries that can be avoided as a result of a clinical mistake. To do this, you must be able to accurately distinguish the effects of the underlying disease from what it would have done if there were no error. This often requires careful preparation by a medical negligence lawyer to secure the correct amount of compensation.
How much compensation will I receive for claims of misdiagnosis?
You probably want to know how much compensation you are entitled to. It should be emphasized that all cases are different. There are many types of misdiagnosis, different circumstances and injuries vary greatly. Accordingly, all claims are considered individually. There is no set list of compensation amounts for misdiagnosis that can be referred to, so any lawyer who promises the amount of “x” bends the truth.
