What is a misdiagnosis?

When you go into a doctor’s office or hospital in Kentucky, you are putting your well-being in the hands of the medical professionals there. However, even professionals can make mistakes such as misdiagnoses. Here at Gary C. Johnson, we understand that these misdiagnoses can come with severe side-effects.

According to Merriam-Webster, misdiagnoses are defined quite simply as an incorrect diagnosis. This is a large umbrella term that could cover many medical scenarios. For example, if you have gotten into a car accident and are suffering from neck pain, your doctor may attribute it to whiplash, which is a common side-effect for victims after a crash. However, it may then be discovered that you actually had a pinched nerve causing the issue. This would be considered a misdiagnosis. Additionally, you may end up spending more money than you need to due to the fact that you treated a cause that was not actually at fault.

Misdiagnoses allow for issues to fester and worsen because they are not properly discovered, as well. Sometimes these mistakes can be corrected, but sometimes too much time has elapsed and you may be faced with permanent or even life-threatening damage. As an example, being diagnosed with one illness when you actually have a different, much more severe illness can lead to complications from being given incorrect medication, as well as further bodily harm done by the untreated illness.

If you would like more information on the serious repercussions of potential medical misdiagnoses, please visit our web page.