When you have concerning symptoms, you expect your doctor to help you figure out the cause and obtain appropriate treatment. Unfortunately, physicians frequently dismiss patient complaints and fail to help people obtain a diagnosis and treatment.
Ignored symptoms can lead to serious diagnostic mistakes. If you worry about a doctor ignoring or downplaying your medical concerns, watching for the red flags listed below can help you recognize when a second opinion might be necessary.
1. They blame stress or anxiety
Mental health challenges can absolutely have physiological consequences. However, if a physician refuses to assess the situation and blames everything on anxiety or stress, their surface-level analysis might overlook other potential causes of your symptoms.
2. They interrupt your explanation
To give your physician an accurate idea of your concerns, you may need to talk at length about different symptoms and concerns you may have. Many doctors interrupt patients after a few seconds, preventing them from providing accurate and thorough information.
3. They blame your weight
A higher body mass index (BMI) and higher weight can influence health and cause symptoms, such as joint pain. Still, doctors should also rule out other causes of symptoms, especially when those symptoms are persistent.
4. They refuse to order testing
You may question whether you have a specific condition after performing your own research. You might ask the doctor to order a test that could validate the presence of a pathogen or pinpoint an internal injury. If they refuse to order testing, that decision could delay your diagnosis and affect your care.
5. They downplay pain complaints
Persistent pain symptoms can affect everything from your internal chemical status to your ability to rest. Ignoring pain symptoms, especially when a patient is a woman or has a darker complexion, can be indicative of personal bias affecting care.
6. They omit details from your chart
You have the right to review your medical record. You may notice that the appointment notes and other documentation do not include details about concerns you explicitly brought to your physician’s attention. Their failure to document your concerns may be indicative of them completely discounting and ignoring your complaints.
7. They refuse to refer you to a specialist
You might need a referral to see a specialist to help with the diagnostic process. If your physician declines to refer you to someone else for additional screening, that could be a sign that they do not believe you or take your symptoms seriously.
You have the right to a second opinion, and even if your physician deters you from seeing someone else, scheduling an appointment with another doctor might be necessary. Another professional could help you reach the right diagnosis and evaluate treatment options.
Diagnostic errors, including those caused by bias, may constitute medical malpractice. Reviewing a physician’s conduct with a legal professional can help you determine if you have grounds for a malpractice claim against your doctor or their employer.