There are three main ways a doctor might make a misdiagnosis:
- by failing to diagnose a health problem entirely
- by diagnosing the wrong condition (misdiagnosis) or
- by making the correct diagnosis but delaying it due to other errors.
These can happen in any hospital department, including A&E, and can cause serious damage and injury.
Common mistakes include:
- Not examining a patient properly or noting all their symptoms
- Not taking a patient’s history into account
- Not arranging necessary investigations, x-rays or tests
- Not carrying out the right investigations, x-rays or tests
- Not interpreting investigations properly
- Not spotting illnesses such as meningitis
- Making a late or delayed diagnosis of a serious medical condition, such as cancer
- Failing to identify, diagnose and/or adequately treat a fracture
- Dismissing repeat visits to your GP which should have suggested a more serious underlying condition
- Not ensuring a patient is seen by a senior member of staff
- Making administrative errors
Hospital Negligence & Treatment Errors - Even if a correct diagnosis has been made it is possible for mistakes to occur during treatment. Some common failures can include
- Not giving the correct treatment
- Not operating when necessary
- Not noticing when patients get worse
- Not appropriately monitoring a patient’s condition and taking relevant action
- Poor hospital care leading to illness, bed/pressure sores, dehydration and malnutrition
Our experts are here to help you through this process. With care and understanding when you need it most, we can help you understand your rights and talk you through the various options available to you.
For more information, why not click the links below, or call our friendly expert team.
Our team are located at our Railway Court office in Doncaster but can arrange to see you at any of our offices in Doncaster or Sheffield.
We can help you with any of the following:
01302 341 414