People who are victims of medical misdiagnosis may be able to collect compensation for their physical and emotional trauma.

Although nurses, physicians and other medical workers are some of the most trusted professionals in New York and across the U.S., a simple oversight can make a serious impact on someone’s life. When doctors fail to diagnose a patient in an outpatient clinic or emergency room setting, the results can be disastrous, and even deadly.

FAILURE TO DIAGNOSE

While a young baby escaped an emergency room error with her life, she was forced to have both legs, left hand and fingers on her right hand amputated because of a diagnosing mistake. According to a CNN News report, the nurse who was assessing emergency room patients bacterial infection as a simple virus, when it was actually a flesh-eating bacteria. As the family was made to wait in the emergency room, the bacteria spread throughout the baby’s body.

Unfortunately, this case is not isolated, but rather one of many situations involving diagnosing oversights and errors.

THE STUDY

A study published in the journal BMJ Quality and Safety reported that every year, at least 12 million patients leave the E.R. or outpatient clinic with the wrong diagnosis. In at least half of those cases, the misdiagnosis caused severe patient trauma, according to the New York Post. The numbers are thought to be even higher when taking into account the fact that not all cases of misdiagnosis are discovered or reported.

IMPLICATIONS OF MISDIAGNOSIS

When patients receive the wrong diagnosis for their condition, they may begin treatment for an illness that they do not have. For example, a patient who is misdiagnosed with pneumonia may begin a regimen of antibiotics and other medications while the actual condition, possibly lung cancer, grows stronger and begins to spread. Taking medications that are unneeded can also initiate problems that the patient did not have in the first place.

Furthermore, diagnosing errors may cause people to undergo unnecessary surgical procedures and experience needless pain and medical expenses. People may need to stay home from work while they heal from the mistaken procedures, which can cause loss of wages and emotional trauma as well.

GETTING BACK ON TRACK

Whether you have received the wrong diagnosis from a trusted medical professional or you have been victimized by some other form of medical malpractice, you may want to seek counsel from an experienced attorney. A New York lawyer who understands personal injury cases may be able to help you receive compensation for your injuries, lost wages from work and emotional trauma.