You may know someone who has lost a relative because of a missed medical condition or a misdiagnosis. Do you wonder how—in this day and age—such mistakes happen?
They’re Supposed to Be the Experts!
It’s hard to understand how doctors could make errors like this. After all, they
- had umpteen years of education;
- went through years of residency, during which they observed a wide variety of medical conditions and their treatment;
- consult with other medical professionals—other doctors, nurses, and specialists; and
- run all sorts of tests to determine what is wrong.
So much progress has occurred in the medical field—why do misdiagnoses still occur?
How Could Such a Mistake Happen?
The following statements are not intended to excuse medical professionals from responsibility for misdiagnoses and other mistakes, but to understand how they occur.
- Much of the focus of medical progress has been on treating and curing disease, rather than preventing misdiagnoses, and we’ve reaped the benefit: many diseases that would have killed someone 50 years ago are now manageable.
- Medical professionals are not rewarded if they cure a patient, and they are not penalized if they fail. They have little incentive—beyond their own integrity— to spend time double- and triple-checking test results and researching alternative treatments.
Understanding why misdiagnoses occur doesn’t make them excusable. If your loved one died because of a misdiagnosis, contact the experienced Louisville medical malpractice attorneys at Gray and White Law. Call us at 502-210-8942 or toll free at 888-450-4456 and set up a FREE, no-obligation consultation.