Patients rely on medical professionals for everything from diagnosis to treatment recommendations. There needs to be honest communication and trust for the relationship to function properly. Patients often approach healthcare relationships with the idea that a doctor is all but infallible.
In reality, healthcare providers can and do make mistakes that have negative consequences for their patients. For example, it is relatively common for doctors to ignore or downplay the symptoms that patients report. Instead of fully investigating a patient’s complaints, a physician might instead rush through the diagnostic process due to pressure on their time. The unfortunate reality is that doctors who cannot give patients the attention they require too often make preventable and significant diagnostic mistakes.
Doctors have limited time per patient
Corporate medical practices tend to over-schedule physicians. They then rush through the review of each patient’s medical records and their conversations. Doctors may fail to listen as patients start describing their experiences or may interrupt them before they get to the most important information.
Some research indicates that doctors listen for as little as 11 seconds when a patient reports symptoms and concerns. They cut the patient off to ask questions or to propose a potential solution. If a patient doesn’t clearly communicate in a very efficient manner, the doctor may not absorb the necessary information to reach an accurate diagnosis.
Doctors may fail to diagnose a patient because they don’t listen to self-reported symptoms. They might reach the wrong conclusion because they make assumptions about the severity of those symptoms or the underlying cause of the symptoms of patient reports. They may choose to wait and see if symptoms resolve instead of ordering testing or referring a patient out to a specialist.
Delays in diagnosis and misdiagnosis might lead to worsening symptoms or the progression of a previously treatable malady. Patients who do not receive an accurate and timely diagnosis may end up suffering worse long-term outcomes. In some cases, conditions like cancer or infections can become much more severe due to delays in diagnosis and treatment.
Pursuing a medical malpractice lawsuit after a doctor fails to diagnose a patient or diagnoses them improperly could help an affected patient cover treatment costs, lost wages and other expenses related to a diagnostic failure. Patients should not have to suffer medically and financially because doctors don’t give them enough of their time.
