Endocrinologists specialize in diagnosing and treating conditions that afflict the glandular system. This includes the pancreas, testes, ovaries, adrenal, thyroid, and pituitary glands. Each of these controls the release of hormones. Doctors who become endocrinologists need to finish an additional residency and focus on diagnosing and treating different internal medical conditions. If you believe you were harmed by endocrinologist malpractice, you may have legal rights. The dedicated Syracuse medical malpractice attorneys of DeFrancisco & Falgiatano can evaluate your potential legal claims.
Endocrinologist MalpracticeWhen you see an endocrinologist, you trust that he or she will diagnose and treat you using standards and practices accepted by other endocrinologists in the medical community. Generally, endocrinologists must finish a two or three-year fellowship in endocrinology after their residency. They need to finish a residency in internal medicine, possess board certification in internal medicine, and complete a fellowship in endocrinology.
There are also endocrinologists who focus on patients that are children, and who do their residency in pediatrics. Doctors who want to go into pediatric endocrinology need to do their residency program in pediatrics. Pediatric endocrinologists need to complete a three-year fellowship in pediatric endocrinology for problems specific to children with glandular conditions, such as those with childhood diabetes.
Medical conditions endocrinologists diagnose and treat include diabetes, sexual development disorders, infertility, growth disorders, hormone-related weight problems, high blood pressure, pituitary dysfunction, bone disorders, and cancer. Diabetes and thyroid disorders are problems commonly diagnosed and treated by endocrinologists, and left untreated, they can result in serious consequences. An endocrinologist can be held accountable for malpractice where she should have, if she had acted competently, diagnosed or treated these conditions. For example, if an endocrinologist fails to order lab tests for thyroid cancer when there is an indication of thyroid cancer, she may be liable for medical malpractice.
LiabilityTo establish endocrinologist malpractice, you’ll need to show by a preponderance of the evidence: (1) you have a doctor-patient relationship with the defendant endocrinologist, (2) the endocrinologist’s failure to meet the applicable professional standard of care, (3) causation, and (4) damages. For example, an endocrinologist may fail to meet the professional standard of care by failing to diagnose diabetes in a patient. When diabetes goes undiagnosed, and therefore untreated, it can result in blindness, kidney disease, and lower limb amputations. Similarly, if an endocrinologist fails to diagnose a thyroid disorder, it can lead to autoimmune conditions, psychiatric issues, advanced cancers, and birth defects. If an endocrinologist fails to diagnose hypertension, the failure can lead to stroke, aneurysm, dementia, kidney failure, and heart failure. A seasoned medical negligence lawyer can assess whether the facts of your case may fulfill the required elements of a medical malpractice claim.
DamagesIf you were harmed by an endocrinologist’s malpractice, you may be able to recover compensatory damages that return you to the position you would have been in had the malpractice not occurred. Compensatory damages may be both economic and noneconomic. They can include amounts for replacement services, pain and suffering, mental anguish, medical bills, lost wages, loss of consortium, and loss of enjoyment. The nature of the damages, as well as the amount, will depend on the particular losses at issue. For example, if your endocrinologist failed to diagnose diabetes and as a result you needed to have your dominant arm amputated and you went blind, you may be able to recover losses related to a prosthetic, physical therapy, vocational rehabilitation, equipment to address your blindness, and replacement services such as hiring a person to do cleaning that you used to do.
You may be able to recover for the pain and suffering associated with losing your arm and sight, as well as loss of enjoyment. If, for example, you were a visual artist who lost your sight due to an endocrinologist’s failure to diagnose and treat diabetes, you may be able to recover damages for lost income as well as lost enjoyment.
Retain an Experienced Medical Malpractice Attorney in SyracuseIf you were harmed or a loved one died due to endocrinologist malpractice in Syracuse, you can talk to a seasoned medical negligence attorney. DeFrancisco & Falgiatano represents people in Syracuse, Rochester, and throughout Upstate New York, including in Canandaigua, Binghamton, Oneida, Ithaca, Cooperstown, Watertown, Auburn, Lyons, Herkimer, Elmira, Wampsville, Utica, Lowville, and Oswego. Call DeFrancisco & Falgiatano at 833-200-2000 or contact us via our online form.