Failure To Diagnose Rare Diseases

Rare diseases, by nature, affect a small portion of the population. Regardless, doctors undergo extensive training to enable them to diagnose and treat such illnesses, and a timely and accurate diagnosis is crucial to improving the outcomes and quality of life for individuals affected by rare diseases. Sadly, doctors frequently neglect to accurately identify uncommon conditions, and the failure to diagnose rare diseases often results in delayed treatment, increased suffering, and financial burdens for their patients. If you were hurt by a doctor’s missed or delayed diagnosis, it is in your best interest to meet with an attorney to discuss your options for seeking justice. The dedicated Baltimore medical malpractice attorneys at Arfaa Law Group possess the knowledge and resources needed to obtain favorable outcomes in cases against careless doctors, and if you engage our services, we will advocate aggressively on your behalf.

Diagnosing rare diseases can be challenging. These conditions often manifest with diverse and atypical symptoms. As such, doctors usually employ a multifaceted approach in an effort to provide their patients with an accurate diagnosis. To begin, they will typically obtain information about the patient's medical history, including symptom onset and progression, and conduct comprehensive physical examinations. They will often conduct a variety of laboratory tests, imaging studies, and, if necessary, biopsies as well. In some instances, they may collaborate with other physicians to determine the nature of a patient’s condition.

The failure to diagnose rare diseases can have devastating consequences. In many instances, it results in delayed treatment, increased symptoms, and irreversible damage to the body. It can cause considerable emotional trauma as well, as patients and their families endure the uncertainty and frustration of an elusive diagnosis, and can create financial hardships, as the cost of unnecessary tests and procedures in the quest for a diagnosis can be substantial. Moreover, the lack of an accurate diagnosis can prevent a patient from obtaining genetic counseling and making appropriate family planning decisions.

The failure to diagnose rare diseases can result in significant health complications, leading to both physical suffering and substantial financial burdens. Consequently, people harmed by such oversights will often seek compensation from the parties responsible for their losses by pursuing medical malpractice claims. Typically, establishing liability in medical malpractice cases requires the plaintiff to prove the defendant's negligence.

In order to prove negligence under Maryland law, the plaintiff must establish that the defendant owed a duty to them and that this duty was breached. In the context of medical care, a doctor's duty to a patient is to treat them in accordance with the prevailing standard of care, which is the level of care that a competent practitioner in the same specialty would offer in similar circumstances. Any action or failure to act that falls short of this standard could be considered a breach. In most instances, the plaintiff is required to present expert testimony to define the appropriate standard of care and demonstrate how the defendant deviated from it.

Furthermore, the plaintiff must establish a clear link between the defendant's deviation from the standard of care and the harm suffered by the plaintiff, along with showing they suffered measurable damages due to such harm.

In cases where plaintiffs succeed in proving the defendant committed medical malpractice, they may be awarded compensation for both their economic losses and the intangible harm they experienced. Economic losses typically encompass expenses related to medical treatments for their injuries, lost income, and out-of-pocket costs. Intangible harm encompasses mental and emotional distress, pain, suffering, and trauma endured as a result of their injuries.

When doctors fail to accurately identify an uncommon condition as the cause of their patient’s symptoms, it can cause critical complications, and the failure to diagnose rare diseases often constitutes medical malpractice. If you were hurt by a doctor’s careless oversights, you have the right to seek compensation, and you should talk to an attorney. The capable Baltimore lawyers of Arfaa Law Group are proficient at demonstrating that negligent healthcare providers should be held accountable for the harm they cause, and if you hire us, we will diligently pursue any damages you may be owed. We regularly represent people harmed by medical malpractice in lawsuits in Baltimore, where our office is located. You can contact us at (410) 889-1850 or through our online form to set up a conference.