False Diagnosis/Wrong Diagnosis in Virginia: Learn From Recent Incident of Blatant Malpractice

The term "wrong diagnosis" brings to mind a recent story of a doctor falsely diagnosing potentially thousands of children with seizure disorders (such as epilepsy) in order to make money off of referrals to medical specialists and other experts. According to the Freep report, many of the children have spent years undergoing brain scans, tests, and taking powerful medications to combat the seizures they never had, resulting in memory problems and other disorders. Although this case of false diagnosis is severe and extremely unethical, some cases of wrong diagnosis do not result from blatant malpractice, but simple negligence on the part of the medical expert, such as the failure to exercise due care. Listed below are some of the more difficult injuries or conditions to diagnose in Virginia.

Conditions Commonly Misdiagnosed in Virginia:

• stroke or other brain injuries
• breast cancer (and other forms of cancer)
• heart attack
• appendicitis
• tuberculosis (TB)
• diabetes
• bacterial meningitis
• pulmonary embolism.

These conditions may be more difficult to diagnose than others, but physicians are trained experts who must exercise due care and diligence when diagnosing a patient, and adequate care should result in the proper diagnosis. With the consequences of false diagnosis often serious or even fatal, doctors must be held responsible for their negligence in Virginia medical malpractice cases.

If you believe you may have a case of medical malpractice from false diagnosis in Norfolk, Hampton Roads, Newport News, Eastern Shore, or another part of Virginia, contact Norfolk medical malpractice attorney Lawrence Land for a free evaluation of your case and answers to your questions. Contact Land online or toll-free at 800-800-1911.