With the rise of telephone consultations and face to face consultations with a GP falling, are GPs failing to recognise vital signs of cancer?
Following the Covid-19 Pandemic and the change to hold more telephone consultations over face to face appointments, there has been a rise of failing to misdiagnose critical medical conditions, one of these being cancer.
This poses the question, if a GP was to see a patient in person, would the view change and would a vital diagnosis be considered?
Most common signs of cancer:
- Unexplained weight loss
- Change in bowel habits or bladder function
- Fatigue
- Skin changes
- Lumps
- Fever
- Pain
Anyone suspected to have cancer should immediately be placed on a 2 week wait cancer referral pathway. A failure to see a patient in person leaves them in a position where a GP hasn’t completed a full physical examination and it is likely that all the signs and symptoms have not been considered due to a lack of visual aids.
As such, patients are left in a situation where prompt referrals may not be made. As a result, many people are receiving a delayed diagnosis of cancer. The same potentially exacerbating their condition and leaving them in a position requiring more invasive treatment, such as surgery, rather than conservative forms of treatment.
Even where the 2 week wait is adhered to by a GP, due to capacity throughout hospitals, it is not always the case that patients will be seen within this window and can often take longer, leaving patients in the same circumstances where there is a delay in diagnosis.
If you consider that you have suffered harm as a result of a delay in referrals, diagnosis or treatment, Oakwood Solicitors has a dedicated team of solicitors and paralegals who have many years’ experience dealing with medical negligence claims.
If you believe or feel that you have a misdiagnosis of cancer claim, you can contact the team for an initial consultation regarding your options and obtain some free legal advice.
Further reading
Medical misdiagnosis or delay – Oakwood Solicitors
WHAT TO DO NEXT
Get in touch today for a no-obligation consultation regarding misdiagnosis of cancer or any other medical negligence matter.
Choose one of the methods on the right-hand side of this page, or call us on 0113 200 9720 to find out how we can help you with your enquiry.
With the rise of telephone consultations and face to face consultations with a GP falling, are GPs failing to recognise vital signs of cancer? Following the Covid-19 Pandemic and the change to hold more telephone consultations over face to face appointments, there has been a rise of failing to misdiagnose critical medical conditions, one…
Medical Negligence Team – Case Studies Showcase
Here is a collection of recent case studies from our Medical Negligence department, showcasing not only the variety of matters they help to resolve, but also the figure awarded to the client upon …
View
Medication Dispensing Error – Case Studies
Following on from our article about the inevitability of a medication dispe…
View
Medical Consent – Case Study
Consent is an important element of medical treatment for both patient and treating clinician. Participating in valid consent gives the patient access to the chosen medical tr…
View
