A misdiagnosis by a doctor can lead to the unthinkable. Doctors are tasked with figuring out why a person is suffering from certain symptoms and provide the right care to fix the issue. When this job is done incorrectly, people can be put through painful and unnecessary procedures or can suffer worsened medical conditions as a result of their delayed treatment.
In a recent case, a woman is suing a hospital after a misdiagnosis. In this case, the woman was told that she had cancer following a routine colonoscopy. The doctors at the hospital diagnosed her with rectal cancer following the procedure. As a result of the diagnosis, the woman went through five months of medical care. During that time, doctors performed four medical procedures including removing a large portion of the woman’s rectum.
The woman said that she was extremely worried during the treatment. She believed that it was possible that she could die from the cancer. He was beginning to get things in order for her death, when she was notified by the hospital that the diagnosis had been made in error. According to the hospital, her name had been attached to a sample from another patient.
The woman is now suing and seeking damaged for the unnecessary surgery and misdiagnosed cancer. The hospital has not commented on the litigation.
Misdiagnosis is a form of medical malpractice. Through a medical malpractice suit, victims of misdiagnosis may be able to recover damages for the negligence of the doctor or hospital. Through this suit, people can be compensated for their physical and emotional suffering caused by the misdiagnosis.
Source: WFTV, “misdiagnosis,” Sept. 3, 2014