Jacksonville Misdiagnosis Attorneys

Commonly Misdiagnosed Health Conditions

The sooner a patient starts receiving the appropriate treatments, the better. Any delay in getting an accurate diagnosis can jeopardize their health and the treatability of the condition. While misdiagnoses can occur across a wide range of medical conditions, some are more commonly misdiagnosed due to medical negligence more than others.

Our Jacksonville misdiagnosis lawyers are ready to represent you if a medical professional negligently misdiagnosed your health condition, such as:

• Cancer: Regrettably, this life-threatening condition is often misdiagnosed due to its numerous types and varied symptoms. For example, lung cancer symptoms can be mistaken for less serious conditions like bronchitis, leading to delayed treatment.
• Heart attack: Symptoms such as chest pain, shortness of breath, and fatigue can be misinterpreted as signs of less serious ailments like indigestion or anxiety, leading to a delayed or missed diagnosis, which can be fatal.
• Stroke: The signs of a stroke, including sudden weakness, confusion, and difficulty speaking or seeing, can be mistaken for other conditions like migraines or intoxication. This can lead to a missed opportunity for early intervention, increasing the risk of long-term disability or death.
• Lyme disease: This infectious disease, transmitted through tick bites, often presents flu-like symptoms, leading to misdiagnoses of conditions like viral infections, fibromyalgia, or chronic fatigue syndrome.
• Celiac disease: This autoimmune disorder, triggered by the ingestion of gluten, can lead to a variety of symptoms, such as abdominal pain, weight loss, and fatigue. Due to the wide range of symptoms, it's often mistaken for other gastrointestinal disorders like irritable bowel syndrome.
• Fibromyalgia: Characterized by widespread chronic pain, this condition's symptoms overlap with many other conditions, including arthritis and lupus, making it susceptible to misdiagnosis.
• Endometriosis: This condition, where similar uterine lining tissue found inside the uterus grows outside the uterus, can cause severe pain and fertility problems. However, its symptoms can be misinterpreted as menstrual pain or irritable bowel syndrome, leading to delayed diagnosis and treatment.

Who Is Liable for a Diagnostic Error?

Misdiagnosis cases are complex in part because diagnostic errors often lack a singular cause. Commonly, these mistakes result from a combination of human, procedural, and systemic failures in medical settings. As such, determining liability requires identifying which party (or parties) failed in their duty of care, leading to patient harm.

At Edwards & Ragatz, P.A., we meticulously investigate all potentially liable parties to position our clients for the best possible outcomes. While every misdiagnosis case is unique, this often means looking at potential defendants such as:

Doctors and Physicians. The primary treating doctor is often the first party examined in a misdiagnosis case. Physicians may be liable if they:

• Failed to order necessary tests based on a patient’s symptoms.
• Misinterpreted test results, leading to an incorrect diagnosis.
• Overlooked or ignored patient-reported symptoms that indicated a more serious condition.
• Failed to refer the patient to a specialist when the condition required further evaluation.

Radiologists and Pathologists. Since imaging scans (X-rays, MRIs, CT scans) and lab tests (biopsies, blood work) are critical in diagnosing many conditions, radiologists and pathologists can be held liable if they:

• Misread imaging results and failed to detect fractures, tumors, or internal injuries.
• Provided incorrect pathology reports, leading to delayed or inappropriate treatment.
• Failed to communicate findings properly to the treating physician.

Hospitals and Medical Facilities. In some cases, the facility where a misdiagnosis occurred may be held responsible for systemic failures or the actions of their employees. Liability can arise from:

• Staffing shortages that result in rushed or negligent patient evaluations.
• Failure to implement diagnostic protocols, leading to avoidable mistakes.
• Communication breakdowns between departments, causing critical test results to be overlooked.
• Vicarious liability – In some cases, hospitals, clinics, or private medical practices can be held legally responsible for the negligence of their employees, such as doctors, nurses, or technicians. However, employment relationships in healthcare can be complex. Some physicians operate as independent contractors, meaning the hospital may not be liable for their mistakes. A thorough legal analysis is required to determine who can be held accountable.

Nurses and Medical Staff. Although nurses do not typically make final diagnoses, they play a crucial role in the diagnostic process. They may bear responsibility if they:

• Failed to record or report critical symptoms to the physician.
• Administered incorrect treatments based on a misdiagnosed condition.
• Miscommunicated patient history or symptoms in a way that contributed to the diagnostic error.

Urgent Care Clinics and Emergency Room Staff. Because urgent care clinics and ERs handle a high volume of patients quickly, diagnostic errors frequently occur in these settings. Liability may arise when:

• Patients are discharged too soon without proper evaluation.
• Serious conditions (heart attacks, strokes) are mistaken for minor issues (anxiety, indigestion).
• Tests are not ordered or followed up on, leading to delayed treatment.

Have You or a Loved One Suffered Misdiagnosis in Jacksonville?

We urge you to speak to our Jacksonville misdiagnosis attorneys if you feel you suffered adverse health consequences because of a misdiagnosis, missed diagnosis, delayed diagnosis, or any other kind of diagnostic error.

Our team of failure to diagnose attorneys at Edwards & Ragatz are here to help. With over 150+ years of combined experience and millions won, we have the experience and skill to effectively advocate on your behalf. 

When you suffer harm because of diagnostic errors, our Jacksonville misdiagnosis attorneys at Edwards & Ragatz, P.A. can fight to get you fair compensation for your losses. Discuss your legal options today by calling (904) 295-1050 or contacting us online.