We depend on our doctors to provide us with the right diagnosis. When delays occur, the illness or condition can worsen. If it is the doctor's fault, you may have the right to sue for damages in North Carolina. This is important because a delayed diagnosis can cause significant damages.
At Vincent-Pope Law Firm, our medical malpractice lawyer in North Carolina helps clients who have been harmed due to a delayed diagnosis. Contact us at (919) 645-8255 to schedule a free, initial consultation. We will not delay in our representation and fight to obtain just and fair compensation for you.
Medical Malpractice Lawsuits in North Carolina for Delayed Diagnosis
If the required elements of a medical malpractice claim are met, you could pursue a lawsuit against a doctor for a delayed diagnosis. Typically, the delayed diagnosis must be the result of a medical professional's negligence for a medical malpractice lawsuit.
A delay in diagnosis in North Carolina can be especially dangerous to a patient suffering from a severe health condition because of the need for early and aggressive treatment. Unfortunately, delayed diagnoses happen far too often in medicine for many reasons, some of which are not due to a healthcare provider's negligence. It is important to note that the medical standard of care to which a doctor must adhere is far different from the normal standard of care for other individuals.
How Delayed Diagnoses Happen in North Carolina
Many potential reasons exist for a negligent delay in a doctor's diagnosis of a patient's condition. For instance, there could be issues relating to the diagnostic testing of a patient. Additionally, a doctor might fail to recognize or consider particular symptoms or fail to make the necessary connection between a set of symptoms and a potential medical condition.
Medical professionals could provide an untimely diagnosis for just about any type of condition. However, there are some conditions that receive delayed diagnoses more often, including:
- Heart attacks
- Internal bleeding
- Strokes
- Cancer
- Infections
- Brain injuries
Severe conditions might start out as minor symptoms that a doctor fails to attribute to the underlying condition, so major illnesses and diseases can be commonly undiagnosed in a timely manner.
Consequences of a Delayed Diagnosis in North Carolina
A delayed diagnosis can directly impact a patient's treatment and chance of recovering from a condition. For many conditions, the earlier they are diagnosed, the better chance a patient has to recover or survive due to the correct and timely treatment.
An untimely diagnosis could also lead to the health condition spreading to other parts of a patient's body or more complications. Additionally, a delayed diagnosis could cause a medical professional to overlook symptoms or prevent action on an abnormal or unique test result, which could make the difference in saving a patient. When a medical team does not diagnose a condition in a timely manner, incorrect treatments might be used, thereby resulting in additional dangers to a patient. When a medical professional fails to timely identify a treatable condition, a patient could suffer significant and irreversible harm.
Proving Delayed Diagnosis as Medical Malpractice in North Carolina
For a delayed diagnosis to result in medical malpractice, it must be more than a common mistake that many doctors would make under the circumstances. There are several elements that must be proven for a patient to establish medical malpractice from a delayed diagnosis. The typical elements include the following:
- A doctor/patient relationship existed at the time of the diagnosis;
- The doctor failed to meet the requirement medical standard of care;
- The failure to adhere to the medical standard of care caused the delayed diagnosis;
- The patient suffered harm due to the doctor's delayed diagnosis.
A successful medical malpractice case commonly requires the opinion of another medical professional to help establish the standard of care under the circumstances and show how a reasonably prudent doctor should have acted.
Contact a Medical Malpractice Attorney in North Carolina Today
If you think you or a loved one has been the victim of a delayed diagnosis in North Carolina, our medical malpractice attorney at Vincent-Pope Law Firm is here to help. We have the experience and knowledge to file a successful delayed misdiagnosis claim. Call (919) 645-8255 to schedule a free, initial consultation.
