People understandably feel that when they go to their Illinois doctor, they will receive expert care and treatment. The unfortunate reality is, however, that some ailments are misdiagnosed at the outset or get worse until a proper diagnosis is made. Whether or not this rises to the level of medical malpractice depends on several factors, including whether the practitioner exhibited the requisite standard of care.
The Most Common Types of Misdiagnoses
Illnesses can be missed, misdiagnosed as something else, or given the correct diagnosis but only after a period of time. Each of these scenarios can have serious consequences to the ultimate likelihood of your recovery, and they might be considered medical malpractice. There are some types of illnesses that are, for whatever reason, most likely to be misdiagnosed. For instance, a vascular event is one of the three most commonly misdiagnosed conditions. Two other common types are infections and cancers. All three of these conditions can become very serious or even fatal if not caught in time.
What to do About Medical Malpractice
If you think that you have been harmed by a failure to diagnose your condition in a timely manner, there are a few steps that you should consider taking. One of the first things that you need to do is contact a medical licensing board to help you determine whether the type of care you received was consistent with what would normally be given for your condition. You should also contact another medical care provider to get a second opinion, which will help determine whether or not you got proper care the first time. In addition, you might find it advisable to meet with an experienced attorney to discuss your situation and, if a determination is made that medical malpractice might have occurred, to learn about how best to seek compensation for the losses that you have incurred.