Diagnosing a medical condition can be very difficult, in part because so many different maladies can cause similar symptoms. A persistent dry cough could be a sign of certain allergies or an early warning of lung cancer. People generally do not have the knowledge, objective perspective or testing equipment necessary to diagnose themselves. They rely on physicians to evaluate their symptoms and use the resources at their disposal to diagnose them properly.
Unfortunately, failing to diagnose patients with serious medical issues is a common form of malpractice. Overworked doctors in emergency rooms and busy corporate medical centers could very easily fail to diagnose someone.
Doctors don’t have the time to properly review each patient
Many corporate medical practices require that physicians see dozens of patients each day. In addition to the time spent in the room with a patient, a doctor has additional obligations in the form of maintaining medical records. They may, therefore, rush through their interactions with a patient.
They may fail to properly check medical records before entering the room with the patient. They may not even give the patient adequate attention during their time together. Some research indicates that doctors only wait 11 seconds before interrupting a patient. A patient may never have an opportunity to fully communicate their concerns to a physician, which could potentially lead to the doctor making a preventable mistake when diagnosing them.
Those who understand how the occupational pressure on a physician could compromise their job performance can potentially recognize when they have experienced medical malpractice. Filing a lawsuit could help people recoup lost wages and additional treatment costs caused by harmful diagnostic failures.