What Constitutes Medical Malpractice?
Cancer can spread very quickly, and early treatment is essential. Failure to catch cancer in a timely manner is a common reason to bring a medical malpractice suit, but there is more to medical malpractice than just this. A successful medical malpractice case depends on many different factors:
- When was the cancer diagnosed? Did the failure to diagnose the cancer early enough cause harm? What stage was the cancer in when the doctor missed a chance to diagnose it? If the diagnosis was delayed for a few months and the cancer is still in the first stage when it is finally diagnosed, it can be difficult to argue that malpractice took place.
- Why wasn’t the cancer diagnosed properly? There may be one or more medical professionals at fault: the doctor may not order the correct tests or consider cancer as a diagnosis in the first place, or the pathologist or radiologist may misinterpret lab results or misread a screening image. An important step in a medical malpractice suit is determining who exactly is responsible.
- Did the doctor act in a reasonable manner? To prove malpractice, it has to be proven that the doctor did not act according to accepted professional standards, which resulted in the cancer being allowed to progress and get worse.
Under the best of circumstances, a cancer diagnosis can be devastating – you don’t need the extra stress of knowing that it might not have had to happen this way. Patrick D. Troxler, Esq., may be able to help you if you feel you deserve compensation because of medical negligence. Call 301-709-7195 for a free consultation today.
