Going to the doctor can be an anxiety-riddled experience. Yet, most people take comfort in the fact that their medical professionals are highly trained and educated. In most instances, these doctors and nurses carry out their duties without fault. However, there are situations in which they fail to live up to their duty of care, which can have catastrophic results for patients, including wrongful death.
There are many ways that medical malpractice can result in wrongful death. One common way is through misdiagnosis or delayed diagnosis. Both of these situations can leave a serious medical condition to fester, resulting in a more developed illness that results in a worsened overall condition. In the worst cases, these errors cause death. In order to avoid this preventable outcome, medical professionals need to be prepared to conduct thorough examinations, order appropriate testing based on the information before them and accurately read test results.
Take, for example, breast cancer. There are many ways to diagnose this condition. A physical examination may discover lumps that require additional testing, such as through a mammogram, which is an X-ray of the breast. An ultrasound of the tissue in question can help distinguish between solid tumors and fluid-based cysts. A biopsy is often the best way to detect cancer, which is where a small portion of suspect tissue is removed from a patient and analyzed. Even a MRI can help detect cancerous tumors that are deep within breast tissue.
While breast cancer and other forms of cancer can be successfully treated, catching it early is crucial. This requires doctors to be accurate and efficient in their diagnoses. Anything less may be deemed medical malpractice, meaning that victims and/or their families may be able to take legal action in hopes of obtaining some sort of accountability and recovering compensation for damages.
