A Malpractice Attorney Believes In Defensive Medicine
Today’s medical technology can accomplish things that wouldn’t have been possible twenty years ago. You would think that this would be a good thing for you. An experienced malpractice attorney often hears complaints from doctors that because of the threat of litigation they have to practice “defensive medicine”. They define that as ordering numerous “unnecessary tests” to rule out the possibility of problem for their patient. To the extent that ordering these tests either confirms a doctor’s initial suspicions or rules out an initial diagnosis so a doctor can start the proper course of therapy it should be considered that “defensive medicine” benefits, not harms patients.
When To Consult A Malpractice Lawyer Regarding False Test Results
However, these tests are not accurate 100% of the time. You must make sure that the correct analysis has been done and the right test results returned. When a biopsy is done to rule in or rule out a cancerous condition you must make sure the test results is in actual fact, your own. In some rare cases a doctor or lab may misread the results of a test, or even worse, switch the results from two different patients. If this happens to you or a loved one and the result leads to significant damages you may want to consult a malpractice lawyer right away.
Alice W. went to have a biopsy done. The test results were positive for cancer so Alice started radiation therapy to rid herself of the cancer. You would think that catching this cancer and treating it was a good thing – except that she did not have cancer at all. It turned out that the lab mixed up her biopsy with someone else’s causing Alice to endure a severe course of treatment. As a result, Alice brought a lawsuit to recover money damages for what happened to her.
The treatment for Alice’s non-existent cancer was radiation. By being exposed to that amount of radiation, Alice now has significantly increased chances that she will get cancer in the future. Not to mention the emotional pain and suffering caused by being told that she might die when in fact she was perfectly happy.
Get Help From A Medical Malpractice Attorney
However, this is not the end of the story. What happened to the woman whose biopsy got mixed up with Alice’s biopsy and was told that she did not have cancer? Remember, what the medical profession says about early detection of cancer -the earlier you catch and treat it, the better your chances are. The other woman was eventually diagnosed and treated, but there was a delay in treating her.
A medical malpractice attorney will tell you that you need to make sure you get the right test results. Do not be afraid to ask to have it confirmed that it was done right and labeled correctly. You are the patient and you have rights.
