Children are a parent’s entire world. Parents nurture their children as they grow, see them off to their first day of school, teach them lessons about life, and ensure that they mature into healthy and happy adults. Part of that nurturing process is making absolutely sure that your children have access to only the best healthcare that you can provide.
What happens, however, when the pediatrician that you entrust your child’s health to makes a crucial mistake? When they misdiagnose your child, it can lead to not only minor setbacks but potentially harmful results.
Has your child been misdiagnosed and, as a result, suffered health complications? Our team is here for you. We will assist you in choosing your next step forward, including helping you file a pediatric malpractice claim. Give a West Palm Beach medical malpractice lawyer at our firm a call at (561) 655-1990 or contact us online for a free consultation and find out what legal options may be available to you.
What is the most commonly misdiagnosed condition in children?
In pediatric malpractice cases, some of the most common mistakes include misdiagnosis of ADHD in children. This is because a child that is still developing could be presenting certain behaviors that, while common in a child with ADD/ADHD, are also common in all children of a given developmental period.
Misdiagnosing your child with either of these disorders can lead to your child being medicated for a disorder they do not actually have or to your child being placed in a treatment program that might end up doing more harm than good in the long run.
This is why it is crucial for pediatricians to do their due diligence when diagnosing your child for any kind of disease or disorder, no matter the severity of the condition at hand.
Why is pediatric misdiagnosis so dangerous?
One of the main issues when it comes to pediatric misdiagnosis is that your child can receive treatment for a condition that they do not have, as we see often in pediatric stroke misdiagnosis. This is an issue because certain medications have very severe or life-threatening side effects and should not be prescribed unless entirely necessary.
These medications being prescribed to your child can lead to your child having a multitude of health conditions, some of which can be life-threatening. The last thing any parent wants to do is to put their child in any kind of danger or put them at any sort of risk.
This is why it is so important not to misdiagnose a child with the wrong condition. They can be subjected to treatment plans that do not fit any disorder that they actually have and can be medicated with potentially dangerous medications that can lead to further health problems down the road.
Untreated health concerns
We’ve discussed what happens when a child is diagnosed with the wrong illness or disorder. Now let’s discuss another potential side effect of this kind of pediatric malpractice: leaving other disorders untreated for an extended period of time. This can lead to your child experiencing a large number of health risks that can put their long-term health or even their life at risk.
When a pediatrician misdiagnoses your child with a disorder or illness they don’t have, they usually don’t spend much time considering any other disorders or illnesses. When they believe their diagnosis to be correct, they move forward with whatever treatment plan that they’ve laid out and do not look at any potential signs that might be obvious if they didn’t focus entirely on their misdiagnosis.
A pediatrician who does not focus on your child’s actual health problems can lead to your child suffering in silence. Their actual health issues are allowed to grow in magnitude and run a risk to your child’s well-being and even their life if the issue is allowed to get entirely out of hand.
Suspect malpractice at the hands of your child’s pediatrician? Connect with us today.
Pediatric misdiagnosis and pediatric malpractice are complicated and concerning issues that no parent wants to have to deal with. Luckily, the professionals here at Lytal, Reiter, Smith, Ivey & Fronrath are here for you and are ready to take on your case if your child has been subjected to pediatric misdiagnosis or pediatric malpractice.
Our Florida medical malpractice attorneys are standing by to help you from the beginning of the legal process all the way to the end. Rest assured that when you contact the team at Lytal, Reiter, Smith, Ivey & Fronrath, they will aggressively pursue your case so that you and your family do not have to worry.
Do you believe that your child is the victim of pediatric misdiagnosis and, as a result, pediatric malpractice? For information on how to begin the process of filing a malpractice claim, call us at (561) 655-1990 or fill out our quick contact form to schedule a free consultation.
