Medical Malpractice – Failure to Diagnose
According to an article published in the National Post, “as many as 23,000 Canadian adults die annually because of preventable “adverse events” in acute-care hospitals.
What’s more, recent studies also confirm that as many as “70,000 patients a year experience preventable, serious injury as a result of wrongful medical treatments.” When shared with Canadians, most people were shocked to learn that this many people are impacted by medical malpractice cases in our hospitals and other acute care facilities each year.
With enough evidence to prove that medical misdiagnosis happens more often than anyone can imagine, misdiagnosis has become the leading cause of medical malpractice lawsuits in Canada.
Medical misdiagnosis can seriously endanger a patient’s safety. It normally occurs when a healthcare professional like a doctor or nurse, hospital or other health care professional causes an injury or death to a patient through a negligent act or a substandard level of care.
Some instances of medical misdiagnosis include failure to diagnose, errors in medication or prescription, surgical errors or mishaps, orthopedic injuries, injuries during birth, nursing home negligence or even wrongful death.
Ontario’s laws allow victims of medical malpractice to seek compensation for failure to diagnose and misdiagnosis and sue for damages. In fact, even the family members of a person who has died, can sue the doctor for damages, as the consequences of a failure to diagnose can be severe.
If you or someone you know is a victim, keep in mind that filing and pursuing a medical malpractice lawsuit can be an expensive and time-consuming affair. The claimant has to prove many things including injury due to the doctor’s malpractice and as a result, considerable loss of income, enhanced pain and trauma and unaffordable costs of health care and rehabilitation.