It’s unanimously agreeable that correctly diagnosing a patient’s medical problem is critically important in their lives. To a medical practitioner, it assures a high level of professionalism and competency. Most patients also think the right diagnosis is crucial as it means they’ll get the correct medication for their ailments.
However, it’s also sad to point out that medical misdiagnosis still exists among our health care providers today. Estimates point to a growing number of patients with complaints of misdiagnosis. Among the reported factors behind the wrong diagnosis, a doctor’s attitude toward an individual patient, and similar symptoms among different ailments rank high.
What It Means by Being Misdiagnosed
Misdiagnosis means the doctor guessed wrong or misread the test results of your medical condition or injury. This may lead to the worsening of your condition, or at the worst, result in death.
The encouraging part is that you now have the power to make any doctor who misdiagnoses you personally liable. Legal provisions under the personal injury law allow you to file a case against such a doctor. Reputable law firms such as the ELT Law Group are known for their excellent services if you need legal help against such medical malpractices.
Signs That Will Tell You’ve Been Misdiagnosed.
Many people argue it’s difficult to distinguish some conditions from others, given that many different medical conditions often portray similar symptoms. Perhaps that’s why even experienced doctors need to pay much attention to high-level precision when carrying out diagnosis tests.
As a patient, you also need to be attentive and honest when disclosing your medical problems to the doctor. This may save you from the grave dangers of misdiagnosis. Below are the common signs and symptoms that should tell you’ve been misdiagnosed.
There are Varying Opinions from Different Doctors
Nothing beats the logic of medical practice more than two varying opinions for the same ailment or injury. As a patient, you always expect the second doctor to give you the same medical diagnosis that is not different from the first doctor’s.
Seeking a second opinion from another doctor means you want to be more confident about your ailment. However, if a second opinion differs from the first one, there’s a high chance you’ve been misdiagnosed. You should even be more worried if the doctor with a differing opinion is a specialist in treating the type of ailment you are suffering from.
Your Symptoms Are Common with Multiple Ailments
Most doctors face the common challenge of diagnosing a medical condition whose symptoms are synonymous with multiple other ailments. It puts the risk of misdiagnosis high as it’s challenging to figure out the exact condition one is suffering from.
Many diseases have similar symptoms. Lyme disease caused by ticks and the common flu is an example of diseases with similar symptoms. This is also common in other bacterial and viral infections. If you experience common symptoms with other ailments, make a point to seek a second diagnosis.
The Doctor Didn’t Utilize All the Available Diagnosing Procedures.
Many ailments and injuries have well-documented procedures that should be followed in their diagnosis process. These include the exams and the tools a doctor should use to assess and perform tests on your body. Availability of the internet today means you can access all information regarding these test procedures regarding any ailment.
That’s why it’s safe and essential to compare what was performed on you and what should be done. If you feel your doctor didn’t exhaust all the spelled out procedures, then you might have been misdiagnosed.
Final Thought
Medical misdiagnosis is a common problem in our healthcare today. Though it may occur accidentally or due to a patient’s fault, it remains essential for doctors to be extra cautious. Therefore, all parties need to play their roles in the best ways possible to avert cases of severe medical dangers or long legal battles.
