Medical malpractice occurs when doctors make avoidable errors. For instance, a doctor makes the wrong diagnosis or even makes the correct diagnosis, but too late. A delay in diagnosis like this could cause the patient’s condition to get worse, and they may not get the type of medical treatment that they actually need.
One reason why this happens is when doctors don’t have enough information. Maybe they make assumptions. Perhaps they try to operate with incomplete information or they don’t have enough details. That’s why it’s so important for doctors to sit down with patients at the initial meeting and go over the patient’s medical history, the symptoms they’re seeing, any history of similar issues within their family and much more.
Interrupting this process
Unfortunately, studies have found is that most doctors will interrupt their patients. They usually do it after just 11 seconds.
This can be problematic because it can derail the entire process and means that the patient may not get to relate all of their symptoms or ask all the questions that they had. The doctor may leave the appointment without getting the information they need, causing misdiagnosis.
It is important to point out that not all interruptions are bad. For instance, a doctor may interrupt quickly just to clarify a point or get more information. So every case is unique.
If you think that your doctor made an error because they weren’t listening to you properly, you may feel that you’ve experienced medical malpractice. Take the time to carefully look into all of the legal options you have if you’re in this position.
