People often go to the hospital when they have mental or physical ailments, but don’t know exactly what’s wrong. You trust your doctor to order the proper tests and to prescribe the most effective treatments.
Unfortunately, patients are misdiagnosed all the time. Some common reasons for misdiagnosis include:
- Doctor error: proper tests not ordered, or tests results interpreted incorrectly
- System error: test results not sent to doctor, or test results sent to wrong patient
Most of the time, patients have no way of knowing they were incorrectly diagnosed. A missed diagnosis is not your fault, and the consequences could be devastating.
Failure to Diagnose Cancer in Rhode Island
Cancer knows no boundaries and continues to be the second biggest killer of Americans every single year.
The American Cancer Society estimates that nearly 6,000 people will be diagnosed with cancer in Rhode Island in 2020, and more than 2,100 people will die of the disease.
Accurately diagnosing cancer is the first step in a long battle for patients — only once their disease is understood can they begin to receive the proper treatment, care, and start making appropriate life decisions to cope.
If doctors miss the signs and symptoms of cancer, patients won’t get the treatment they need, and the disease may continue to spread throughout the body. When the cancer is finally detected, the patient may be much worse off and have fewer treatment options available.
Hold Doctors Accountable
Holding the healthcare system accountable is important — for your family, and the next one. Whether it is an error of judgement or a breakdown in the process, patients need to speak up in order to prevent the same thing from happening again.
Working with Sokolove Law, you will have a knowledgeable advocate at your side throughout the complex process of filing a medical malpractice claim in Rhode Island.
Contact us today for a free consultation. You may be entitled to funds that can be used for items such as medical bills, travel for treatment, restoring lost wages, setting savings aside, and living expenses.
