Delayed Diagnosis

Delayed diagnoses happen when a patient seeks medical treatment for symptoms and the condition causing those symptoms to go undiagnosed for an unreasonable amount of time – the various reasons for delayed diagnosis. For example, doctors may wish to wait to make a formal diagnosis until tests or scans have been completed or until they have done adequate research on rare conditions. Diagnosis may also be delayed due to understaffed hospitals, incompetent medical staff and mishandled tests, which also falls on malpractice because doctors should give you your results as soon as they are available.

A U.S. News & World Report study once suggested that 5% of patients who sought outpatient care each year received either a wrong or delayed diagnosis. That same report also detailed how 1 in 10 patient deaths was attributable to diagnostic errors. However, in the current climate of limited and reduced hospital budgets, it may be more challenging to get the resources such as more employees to prevent delayed diagnosis.

Delayed diagnoses can be life-threatening and cause more problems in the future. If medical professionals do not cause symptoms, they may progress to a terminal state. If you suspect this is happening, contact us at Castel & Hall, LLP. Here we can ensure that the guilty party faces the correct repercussions and gets compensation for the victims. Here, we can inform you of all your options and ensure that the hospital and doctors never make this mistake again.