It’s a fact that a good majority of medical malpractice claims are the result of missed diagnoses in patients, but some recent statistics may prove why.
Cornell Medical College in New York found in a recent study that doctors fail to notify their patients about positive or abnormal test results seven percent of the time.
That might not seem like a lot, but if you break it down a different way, and realize that that equates to one out of every fourteen tests, it becomes much clearer.
The real issue behind these statistics is the fact that there are good number of patients who are left in the dark about potentially dangerous medical conditions. This, in turn, prevents adequate and timely treatment, the absence of which can lead to furthering of a disease, complications or even death, thus leading to medical malpractice and wrongful death lawsuits.
This should be taken as yet another reminder of the importance of being an advocate for your own health. Any patient who undergoes a medical test should follow up afterwards for the results. Don’t be shy or embarrassed. If you don’t take matters into your own hands, you too could end up part of this statistic and find yourself filing your own medical malpractice claim.
Click here to Subscribe to RSS Feed
