How Misdiagnosis of Pediatric Fever Can Be Medical Malpractice

It is extremely terrifying for parents when their children present with fever. While fevers are the body’s normal, healthy reaction to illness or stress, it is the duty of the treating emergency room physician to diagnose the cause of the fever. Failure to do so can result in permanent injury to the child, including death. This can be the result of medical malpractice.

Misdiagnosing Pediatric Patients in the Emergency Room
Diagnosing a fever in a child can be challenging for emergency room physicians because the cause of the fever can range from the mild to the extreme. CNA Health Pro reports that one of the most common causes of medical malpractice in delayed diagnosis of fever is the physician’s failure to consider that the child patient may have a life-threatening illness when first presenting to the emergency room.

Medical malpractice also occurs when diagnostic testing is not completed in a timely manner, therefore delaying the administration of antibiotics.

The medical malpractice attorneys at our firm want to remind all parents, that if a diagnosis doesn’t make sense, to ask for a second opinion.