Medical Misdiagnosis Claims: What You Need To Know
May 24, 2019
In short, a medical misdiagnosis claim is a serious matter. Because contracting a serious illness is a distressing time for both you and your family. However, this is worse with a medical misdiagnosis. It can often lead to more stress put upon the patient, more extensive treatment, and longer illness lengths.
If you believe that you’re subject to a medical misdiagnosis, read on to find out all you need to know.
What is Medical Misdiagnosis?
Medical misdiagnosis occurs when the GP or doctor fails to recognise your illness or diagnoses you with the incorrect illness, which can potentially be harmful to you as a patient. It can also occur if the doctor fails to read tests properly or conduct the right tests.
Moreover, they don’t examine you accurately, or they:
- don’t seek specialist opinions for your condition, or;
- do not understand or acknowledge the severity of your illness, leading to a delay in treatment.
When can you make a claim?
You can make a medical misdiagnosis claim if:
- the condition worsens or;
- your treatment becomes more extreme or longer than otherwise if you’d been given a proper diagnosis.
You can also claim for a relative who has died as a result of medical misdiagnosis. You can also claim for medical misdiagnosis if you:
- believe that a doctor’s negligence leads to a failure to diagnose you and;
- if there was a failure with examination or test equipment, preventing a diagnosis of your illness.
Moreover, medical misdiagnosis isn’t an epidemic exclusive to the UK. In the US, over 12 million adults receive a misdiagnosis each year, according to BMJ.
What conditions are common with a medical misdiagnosis claim?
Although any condition can be misdiagnosed, some have more ill-effects than others. Commonly misdiagnosed conditions include meningitis in both adults and children, different forms of cancer and Type 1 and 2 diabetes, as these conditions have symptoms that are difficult to diagnose, do not show up at all, or can be mistaken for other illnesses. Other common conditions include fractures, strokes, infections and internal bleeding.
How do you claim for Medical Misdiagnosis?
You should contact a solicitor to discuss your case, as they will be able to judge your evidence and represent you and your case if the matter goes to court. They will also be able to guide you through the rest of the process and ensure that you take all of the right legal steps necessary. The medical misdiagnosis compensation that you will receive is dependent on several factors. For instance, if the misdiagnosis lowers your life expectancy if you suffer financial loss and medication, treatment and equipment costs.
What are the time limits to make a claim?
You should file your claim for medical misdiagnosis up to 3 years after you become aware that your worsening condition was due to misdiagnosis or that misdiagnosis had taken place (the Date of Knowledge). Although this is extended in some extreme cases, you should ensure that you file your complaint within the time limit in order to gain full compensation.
If you are thinking of making medical misdiagnosis claims, you should not hesitate to contact a solicitor to discuss your case and the evidence which you can provide of medical negligence and misdiagnosis.