When many people visit a dermatologist, they are scared or apprehensive about the possible diagnoses of the changes they have noticed somewhere in or on their skin. So when the doctor tells them that they have nothing to worry about, or that something is considered benign, people leave the office feeling like a weight had been lifted off of their shoulders.
Now imagine weeks passing with no worries, only to return to the dermatologist because you have seen no change. Or worse, being admitted to the hospital because of severe health conditions. Both of these things are an unfortunate reality for a lot of people, meaning that they may have been a victim of dermatology malpractice.
When most people think about medical malpractice, they think of doctors and surgeons actually acting incorrectly, causing harm, manipulation, or injury. But what happens when instead of the doctor doing something wrong, they do nothing at all? This is referred to as “failure to diagnose” and it falls under the umbrella term of medical malpractice. Not diagnosing something can prove to be even more harmful and fatal than making a mistake in the surgery room in some circumstances.
Cancer, for example, which is one of the most common diagnoses given by dermatologists, only gets worse when it is left untreated or undiagnosed. Some types of cancers can prove to be treatable if caught early enough. However, on the other side of the spectrum, if cancer is not caught until very late, the chances of it being treated decrease immensely. With cancer being one of the most common causes of death in the United States, it is important that it be caught, diagnosed, and treated as early in the stages as possible.
Skin cancer is one of the most common forms of cancer in our society today. This means that dermatologists see an unfortunate amount of patients that have either the beginning signs or have been living with skin cancer or melanoma. One of the most common types of dermatology malpractice is the failure to diagnose, and with skin cancer being unfortunately common, this failure can prove to be very dangerous and even fatal.
With this being said, however, cancer is not the only condition in which a dermatologist can fail to diagnose, just as failure to diagnose is not the only form of dermatology malpractice. If you believe that you have been mistreated or injured due to the negligence of your dermatologist, you should seek legal help immediately. At Finney Law Office, LLC, we want to be that legal help. Our attorneys are experienced in the medical malpractice field and have dealt with many unique cases within this category. Call us today to get started.