Malpractice or Misdiagnosis?

Medical errors do occur because doctors are human and mistakes happen. However, if the error is severe enough, a lawsuit can also occur.

There is quite a difference between malpractice and misdiagnosis.

When a doctor overlooks or misses an illness or condition, or when they diagnose it as something else, this is called misdiagnosis. One example is the failure to diagnose a stroke. Some common symptoms of a stroke can be so subtle they aren’t even noticed and the doctor treats it as another medical condition, not realizing that the patient is having a stroke.

When medical safety rules and procedures are not followed or neglected and you suffer injuries from them, this is called medical malpractice. Doctors, nurses, hospitals or other health care providers can all be sued for malpractice.

However, not all misdiagnoses are medical malpractices. You must prove that you saw your doctor for a problem related to the misdiagnosed illness. You also must prove that the misdiagnosis worsened your condition and that if it was properly diagnosed and treated, the problem would not have occurred.

If you think you have suffered from medical malpractice or a misdiagnosis, please contact Dallas malpractice and personal injury attorneys at Polewski & Associates to schedule a free consultation to discuss your case.