It can be a very serious matter when a medical condition isn’t accurately diagnosed. And this isn’t just the case with high-profile potentially fatal conditions like cancer. There are all manner of illnesses and injuries for which a missed diagnosis could have major long-term consequences for a patient.
Take, for example, a class of injuries that are rather common here in the U.S.: foot and ankle injuries. A recent report by orthopedic surgeons looked into the potential impacts these types of injuries going undiagnosed or misdiagnosed can have. Turf toe, Lisfranc injuries and fractures were among the foot/ankle injuries the report looked at.
The report found that when such injuries go untreated due to not being diagnosed or a misdiagnosis, they could expose a patient to some serious issues in the future. Examples of such issues include long-term disability, arthritis and chronic pain.
An author of the report noted that there can be some special difficulties when it comes to diagnosing foot and ankle injuries. Given the consequences an accurate diagnosis not being reached can have on patients, one hopes doctors take proper steps to address these challenges when diagnosing patients who have come in with foot/ankle problems.
One of the things that can lead to an injury not being properly diagnosed is a doctor not acting the way they should have during the diagnostic process. This could include negligence related to tests or scans. When a person is harmed by a missed diagnosis when it comes to injuries like foot and ankle injuries, skilled attorneys can assist them with looking into whether there would be grounds for bringing a medical negligence claim in relation to what happened to them.
Source: UPI, “Misdiagnosed foot, ankle injuries can lead to chronic issues,” Amy Wallace, Jan. 30, 2017