Oregon Failure to Diagnose Leading to Patient Harm

When a person is sick, they go to their doctor to seek diagnosis and care for their illness. What if they are turned away however, and are told that they are not sick? This actually happens all too often unfortunately. Failure to diagnose even the most treatable conditions (i.e. strep throat, upper respiratory infection, etc.) can result in progression of the illness into something more serious, leading to life threatening complications and even wrongful death. When a physician or other healthcare provider fails to diagnose the correct condition, or dismisses a patient’s complaints stating that there is nothing wrong with them when there actually is, this is considered medical malpractice. 

 

Examples of Failure to Diagnose

 

There are many different illnesses that get misdiagnosed or are not diagnosed every day. Some illnesses are more serious than others, requiring immediate treatment. However, even the most mild of illnesses can turn serious without proper treatment. Examples of failure to diagnose include the following:

 

• Failure to diagnose a heart attack, leading to serious cardiac damage or death
• Failure to diagnose stroke, leading to catastrophic neurological alteration or even death
• Failure to diagnose an infection, leading to sepsis or death 
• Failure to diagnose cancer, leading to a worsening of cancer or even death
• Failure to diagnose a spinal cord injury, leading to permanent sensory alteration or even permanent paralysis 
• Failure to diagnose an aortic dissection, leading to death or irreversible organ damage
• Failure to diagnose internal bleeding, leading to serious harm or death
• Failure to diagnose a blood clot, leading to death or organ damage

 

Failure to Diagnose Due to Medical Malpractice

 

There are many ways in which a failure to diagnose can lead to patient harm. It is a doctor’s responsibility to take each patient’s complaints seriously and properly perform diagnostic studies and assessments to diagnose their illness. When a provider fails to do so, it is considered negligence. Examples of medical malpractice due in regard to failure to diagnose include the following: 

 

• Dismissing patient’s complaints without thorough examination, leading to a worsening of disease or even death
• Failure to perform proper tests for diagnosis
• Failure to obtain a complete health history to aid in the diagnosis of the condition
• Failure to provide proper treatment for that condition 
• Misdiagnosis of the condition, leading to a delay in diagnosis of the actual illness that the patient has
• Misdiagnosis of the condition, leading to a patient receiving unnecessary treatment 
• Failure to hospitalize a patient in a timely manner for a condition that requires hospitalization
• Failure to direct a patient to an emergency room or specialist for their condition
• Diagnosing a patient with something benign (i.e. a cold), leading to a delay in treatment

 

Ask Our Failure to Diagnose Lawyer for Help

 

If you or a loved one have been seriously injured or killed as a result of medical malpractice contact the Oregon Medical Malpractice Lawyers at Kuhlman Law at our number below or fill out the intake form.  We offer a free initial case evaluation and handle cases on a contingency fee which means that you pay no money unless we recover.

 

Our law firm handles cases throughout the state including Bend and Portland Oregon, Redmond, Central Oregon, Sisters, Madras, Multnomah County, Deschutes County, Salem, Eugene, Corvallis, Lane County, Medford, Gresham, La Grande, Albany, Medford, Beaverton, Umatilla, Pendleton,  Cottage Grove, Florence, Oregon City, Springfield, Keizer, Grants Pass, McMinnville, Tualatin, West Linn, Forest Grove, Wilsonville, Newberg, Roseburg, Lake Oswego, Klamath Falls, Happy Valley, Tigard, Ashland, Milwakie, Coos Bay, The Dalles,  St. Helens, Sherwood, Central Point, Canby, Troutdale, Hermiston, Silverton, Hood River, Newport, Prineville, Astoria, Tillamook, Lincoln City, Hillsboro, and Vancouver, Washington.

 

We also have an office in Minneapolis, Minnesota and take medical malpractice cases throughout the Twin Cities, including St. Paul, Hennepin County, Ramsey County, Dakota County, Washington County, Anoka County, Scott County, Blaine, Stillwater, and Saint Paul Minnesota.