Startling Facts about Misdiagnosis

Thursday, March 14, 2013

Startling Facts about Misdiagnosis

Written by Malman Law, reviewed by Steve J. Malman.

Unless you work at a hospital, whenever you walk into one you probably have an uneasy feeling. Routine checkups could end with bad news and if you’re visiting family or friends they may have been injured or are suffering from an illness. But when we do hear news of an ailment or injury it is almost second-nature to trust the word of the doctor as 100% legitimate. After all, they undergo years and years of schooling, work in multi-million dollar hospitals, and perform their work with expensive state-of-the-art technology.

The unfortunate truth about misdiagnosis is it happens to millions of patients across the world every year – and a large amount right here in Illinois. Just ask any malpractice lawyer in Illinois. Coming down with an illness is scary enough but being treated for something completely different can cause additional problems and leave your primary medical concern untreated. Chicago malpractice attorneys across the city have represented clients for a variety of misdiagnosed medical cases and the research around this epidemic worldwide is quite startling.

Misdiagnosis Facts 

Several research facilities have executed studies on misdiagnosed medical cases and the results may shock you. Here are some of the startling facts:

• 15% – the percentage of all medical cases misdiagnosed in developed countries according to The American Journal of Medicine
• 26% – the percentage of cases misdiagnosed according to a Mayo Clinic Proceedings study
• 44% – the percentage of some types of cancer misdiagnosed according to a Mayo Clinic Proceedings study

Don’t Wait – Contact a Lawyer

Today’s health system has doctors seeing hundreds of patients a week and in some cases spending mere minutes with them. During a rush they may just scan their chart and not fully consider their medical history. All of this is a recipe for disaster and if you have been misdiagnosed you must contact a malpractice lawyer in in Illinois right away. Their brief moment of oversight can result in a lifetime of health issues – and in the worst cases it can result in death. Time is certainly of the essence regarding medical misdiagnosis, so even if you are curious for more information or believe someone you know has suffered because of misdiagnosis call a Chicago malpractice attorney right now.