It’s very clear that a misdiagnosis is a serious medical error that could even have fatal results. For instance, maybe the doctor misread certain charts or scans and told you that your results were fine when they actually indicated that you have an aggressive type of cancer, like mesothelioma. You need immediate treatment, but the misdiagnosis means that you won’t get it.
That doesn’t mean that the doctor is never going to make the correct diagnosis, however. In some cases, the actual issue will become clear in the future, so it is a delayed diagnosis. The doctor eventually gets it right. However, this can still be just as dangerous as missing the diagnosis entirely.
Delaying necessary care
The issue is that there can be a significant delay in care that may be extensive enough that treatment options are no longer possible. For instance, perhaps cancer has begun to metastasize or spread to other organs.
If the doctor had made the correct diagnosis immediately, the cancer may have been more localized and easier to treat. However, the delay could allow it to spread so thoroughly that surgical options are no longer possible, limiting the potential treatment and increasing the odds that the disease could be fatal.
The doctor may claim that they did identify the correct ailment, and that’s true. However, their negligent delay in making this identification could still cost you significantly.
If you find yourself in this position, you and your family members need to know how to seek financial compensation for medical costs, lost earning capacity, lost wages and much more.