Proving Medical Misdiagnosis in Tampa, Florida
Many of us rely on medical practitioners to properly diagnose us when we suspect that there is something wrong, and to ensure that we receive the medical care and attention typical of such a diagnosis. Unfortunately, doctors are not accurate 100 percent of the time, and misdiagnoses do happen. When they do, it can mean the difference between getting better or getting progressively worse, or in the worst-case scenarios, the difference between life and death.
While doctors are human too, and while they do make errors just like the rest of us, a misdiagnosis can have severe consequences, such as delayed treatment, prescribing the wrong course of treatment, or no treatment at all. For a patient with a progressing condition, none of these options is favorable. If you or a loved one was misdiagnosed, you may be entitled to a medical malpractice claim.
Types of Misdiagnosis
Medical misdiagnosis covers a broad range of mistakes made by a medical professional during the diagnostic process. It is important to understand what constitutes as misdiagnosis before we delve into liability any further. There are a number of ways that a medical professional can make a misdiagnosis. This includes:
- Wrong diagnosis;
- Missed diagnosis;
- Delayed diagnosis;
- Failure to recognize complications;
- Failure to diagnose a related disease; and
- Failure to diagnose an unrelated disease.
Even if your doctor did correctly diagnose your condition, but you continued to suffer despite their prescribed treatment, it may be because they committed one or more of the above diagnostic errors. If that is the case, there is still potential for a medical malpractice lawsuit.
Was Your Doctor Negligent in Your Diagnosis
In order to have a medical malpractice claim under Florida law, for misdiagnosis, you must prove three things:
- That a doctor-patient relationship existed;
- That the doctor was negligent, and that he or she failed to provide treatment in a reasonable and/or skillful manner; and
- That the doctor’s negligence (misdiagnosis) resulted in actual injury.
While that may seem simple enough, proving that a doctor was negligent in his or her care of you can be difficult. A misdiagnosis is not enough to prove negligence, as even the most skilled doctor can make diagnostic errors when practicing with care. In order to prove that your misdiagnosis was the result of negligence, you must prove that the doctor failed to act competently, which can be done by evaluating what your doctor did and did not do to arrive at your diagnosis.
Consult a Tampa Medical Malpractice Lawyer
At The Pendas Law Firm, we assist patients in recovering compensation for losses that were a direct result of medical malpractice. If you believe that your misdiagnosis lead to further medical complications, let our Tampa medical malpractice lawyers assist you with filing a claim. Give our personal injury law firm a call today at 1-844-200-0000 to schedule a private consultation.
We also serve clients in the West Palm Beach, Orlando, Jacksonville, Miami, Fort Lauderdale, and Fort Myers areas.