Contrary to the popular belief, doctors can be sued for medical malpractice not only for making surgical mistakes or failing to diagnose medical conditions, but also for ignoring patients’ complaints. Technically, ignoring a patient’s complaints can be classified as “failure to diagnose” or “missed diagnosis,” but it’s not that simple.
After all, it can be very difficult to prove that you had complained to your physician about something that any other reasonable and prudent medical professional would have taken seriously and addressed through accurate diagnosis, ordering appropriate diagnostic tests, or adjusting the ongoing medical treatment.
“Failure to factor in a patient’s complaints can result in inaccurate or delayed diagnosis, unnecessary treatment or surgery, and preventable injury or harm to the patient,” explains our Philadelphia ignoring patient complaints attorney at The Weitz Firm, LLC. As you may have guessed, ignoring a patient’s complaints can be considered medical malpractice if the patient’s injury or worsened medical condition was caused by his or her doctor’s failure to listen to the complaints and take them into consideration.
In other words, by choosing to do nothing in response to a patient’s complaints or description of symptoms, a healthcare provider is exposing himself or herself to a potential medical malpractice lawsuit.
The problem is that while proving that you were harmed due to a surgical error is relatively simple, proving that you suffered harm and damages due to a medical professional’s failure to properly address your concerns and complaints can be tough, especially if you are not represented by an experienced medical malpractice attorney in Philadelphia or elsewhere in Pennsylvania.
Diagnosis errors and miscommunication between a doctor and patient are common causes of medical malpractice in the U.S. Had all medical professionals listened to their patients’ complaints, many medical conditions could have been prevented and treated. More importantly, many lives could have been saved if all doctors would not ignore patient complaints.
As we have mentioned earlier, proving that you are entitled to compensation under the legal theory of medical malpractice when you suffered harm due to a doctor’s failure to diagnose your condition can be difficult.
Our skilled ignoring patient complaints attorney in Philadelphia explains that not only will you have to prove that the physician owed you a duty of care (there was a doctor-patient relationship), but also demonstrate evidence that the doctor’s failure to listen to your concerns or complaints caused or contributed to your worsened condition or injury.
For example, you can easily establish a doctor-patient relationship if the physician provided you with an examination, during which you voiced your complaints and concerns (which were ignored by the doctor).
Moreover, you will have to prove that you suffered harm and damages as a result of that injury. Schedule a free consultation with our medical malpractice lawyers from The Weitz Firm, LLC, to investigate your case and determine the best legal strategy to determine that your doctor’s actions or omission to act fell below the accepted standard of care. Call our law offices at 267-587-6240 for a free case evaluation.
