On behalf of Izzo Law Office posted in Hospital Negligence.
Research suggests that nearly 33 percent of patients in the United States receive an incomplete or incorrect diagnosis when they go to hospitals or doctor’s offices for medical treatment. Doctor errors can not only lead to problems with a patient’s diagnosis, but can also result in a patient suffering from the side effects of treatments he or she did not even need or enduring unnecessary surgical procedures. Although New York health professionals should not allow a misdiagnosis to occur, there is one recommendation that can help patients avoid suffering from doctor errors.
Most medical professionals recommend that patients who have doubts concerning their diagnoses get second opinions. One may have the most prestigious doctor in the world, but that does not mean that he or she cannot make mistakes. Therefore, a second opinion can either back up the first doctor’s diagnosis or find something that he or she missed.
However, when obtaining a second opinion, it is important to do it in the right manner. Instead of explaining to the physician chosen to deliver a second opinion the details of the first doctor’s diagnosis, it is wise to allow the second doctor to make his or her own diagnosis based on the information presented. One should simply explain his or her symptoms and allow the physician to proceed as normal.
A second opinion may go a long way in avoiding doctor errors that could result in one’s permanent disability or even death. Unfortunately, sometimes a misdiagnosis occurs regardless of the care taken by a patient. For New York residents who are suffering from the consequences of doctor errors, there is legal recourse available in the form of a medical malpractice suit.
Source: buffalonews.com, “Try these tips to avoid a misdiagnosis“.