After visiting the doctor for evaluation of your symptoms, you might feel relieved having been given a diagnosis. While the severity and prognosis of your condition may be disheartening, at least you know what you need to do moving forward to give yourself the best chance of recovery. Or so you think.
The sad reality is that misdiagnosis and missed diagnoses occur all the time. In fact, some studies have shown that as many as 12 million people are misdiagnosed each year. The results can be tragic, too, with victims being left with worsened medical conditions, poorer prognoses and otherwise avoidable pain, suffering and mental anguish.
That said, if you catch a misdiagnosis quickly enough, you may be able to change the course of your treatment before it’s too late. You can also take legal action in the shape of a medical malpractice claim to hold your medical provider accountable. But you’re probably not a doctor. So, how can you really tell if you’ve been subjected to a misdiagnosis?
Signs that your doctor has misdiagnosed your medical condition
There isn’t one blatant sign of misdiagnosis that’s applicable to all cases. Each situation is unique, so you’ll need to pay attention to every detail of your medical care and your condition to spot red flags of misdiagnosis. This may include any of the following:
- Your condition continues to worsen: Once you receive an accurate diagnosis, your doctor should prescribe a course of treatment that leads to an improved condition. Even if your medical condition can be completely remedied, your symptoms should at least lessen. But if your condition only gets worse, then there’s a good chance that your doctor has gotten it wrong.
- Your doctor rushes your appointments: Medical professionals have a lot of patients to get through each day. As a result, they often don’t give their patients the time and attention needed to accurately diagnose their condition. If you feel like your doctor rushes to get your appointment over with, then they probably aren’t listening to what you’re saying about your condition and your symptoms. This heightens the risk that they’ll make a medical determination based on misunderstood information.
- Your doctor doesn’t order testing: Many medical conditions require some sort of confirmatory testing. If your doctor foregoes testing altogether, then they’re probably missing the confirmation that you and they need to develop an effective course of treatment. Don’t be afraid to ask your doctor clarifying questions about how they’re confirming your diagnosis.
- Your doctor’s opinion is contradicted: If your symptoms don’t improve after receiving a diagnosis and treatment from your doctor, then you might want to seek out a second opinion. If this second opinion differs drastically from the first, then something is wrong. By being diligent in asking follow-up questions, you may find out from the second doctor why your initial diagnosis was erroneous.
What should you do after being subjected to misdiagnosis?
If you’ve been misdiagnosed with a medical condition, then you’re first goal is to secure an accurate diagnosis and proper treatment. Once you’ve done that, then you can start thinking about taking legal action. A medical malpractice lawsuit could give you the framework to find accountability and recover the compensation needed to offset your tremendous losses, but you’ll need ample evidence to support one of these claims. So, be sure to document interactions with medical professional, track your losses and your pain and suffering, and educate yourself on the law so that you can aggressively advocate for the outcome you deserve.