What happens when a doctor or nurse recommends a test for a patient, but never explains the results? In West Virginia, patients who suffer medical consequences due to a lack of follow-through by their treating providers have options to consider. 

Medical malpractice does not always occur when a healthcare provider’s action or inaction causes a patient to suffer harm. That said, when you are the patient whose health was damaged due to a problem explaining an important test, it is normal to want answers on where to go from here. 

Crim Law, PLLC serves clients whose health is harmed due to mistakes made related to testing and the communication of those test results. Our team of experienced legal advocates understands that one mistake early in the course of treating a patient can cause significant harm. Contact our office today for a free case review and to discuss your specific circumstances. 

When Failure to Follow Up Becomes Medical Negligence

When a nurse, doctor, or other medical professional provides you with care for a medical issue, that person takes on a great deal of responsibility. When forming a patient-professional relationship, the nurse or doctor assumes a duty of care in relation to you and your treatment. In short, that medical provider must provide you with a basic level of care as any similarly-situated medical professional would do in that circumstance. 

Specifically regarding a missed test result, a healthcare professional and their employer may be held responsible for such negligence. This includes financial responsibility for the additional medical bills, missed work, and even the pain and suffering you have experienced. 

To be able to ensure yourself the best possible opportunity to receive financial compensation for your injuries, contact an experienced West Virginia nursing malpractice attorney today. Standing up for yourself is not easy when powerful insurance companies and medical establishments are on the other side of your case. Crim Law, PLLC, knows how to defend your rights and pursue your interests in a difficult legal system. 

What Harm May Result From a Failure to Follow Up on Medical Care?

The circumstances that you find yourself in determine the extent of the potential harm you may suffer. Severe harm may result from a nurse or doctor making a mistake regarding a missed test result. Serious conditions such as cancer require that physicians, nurses, and clinic staff communicate test results to patients in a timely, professional, and thorough manner. Failing to do so can foreseeably result in delays and missed treatment opportunities. 

Consider that when cancer treatment is delayed even a few weeks, the disease can progress to a stage where routine care is insufficient. More invasive maneuvers may have to be sought, including surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation. None of these methods of treatment may have been necessary had the test results been explained sufficiently at the earliest available opportunity. 

The failure to update a patient on a test result may lead to chronic illness or even permanent disability. Chronic conditions do not go away. Rather, medical management is required to prevent a condition from worsening over time. Permanent disability entails an inability to work on a full-time, competitive basis. Your family, who relies on your income, stands to suffer alongside you for the mistake made by a nurse or doctor. 

Common Situations Where a Nurse or Doctor May Fail to Follow Up

It doesn’t matter if this is the 1st or 50th appointment with a nurse, doctor, or other medical provider — mistakes can happen at any point in your treatment. Medical professionals can drop the ball and not follow up with you on a test result, but they may also run into issues related to a failure to communicate in a range of other areas of treatment. 

Diagnostic tests, bloodwork, urinalysis, and imaging are all examples of test results that may not be communicated and explained to you sufficiently. Once the result comes in (often from a lab or another hospital department), the physician or nurse should receive it and then provide it to you. This may be done in a variety of ways—electronically, over the phone, or by scheduling an appointment with you. 

There may be times when test results will be inconclusive or require further testing. Even results that do not point to anything substantial at the moment need to be explained fully to a patient. An untreated condition can result in permanent damage to your health. 

Doctors or Nurses Who Fail to Return Phone Calls or Answer Questions

Communication is at the core of the patient-physician relationship. Most doctors’ offices have a system in place that allows patients to leave a voicemail or message for a doctor. Nurses check the messages periodically throughout the day. Sometimes questions can be answered by a nurse, as with a test result. Other times, a nurse may need to verify an answer with the physician before providing it to the patient. 

In other instances, you may have called your doctor or nurse because you were experiencing pain in a certain location of your body. These phone lines typically inform patients that calling 9-1-1 is appropriate in an emergency. However, what if the situation is not a true emergency? What if the chest pain was a non-cardiac pain that was emblematic of another condition altogether? If the nurse or doctor never calls back or looks into that symptom further, harmful results may occur. 

The Benefits of Choosing Crim Law, PLLC in a West Virginia Nursing Malpractice Case

The West Virginia nursing malpractice attorneys at Crim Law, PLLC, do not give up when it comes to advocating for injured clients’ rights. The skill and experience of our attorneys mean our clients have the best chance of recovering the damages they deserve.

Contact our office today to learn more about the services we provide. A free case review is available to learn more about how we help clients fight back against negligent medical providers.