It’s frustrating when you see your doctor about a health issue and they dismiss your concerns. But, you believe that they know what they’re talking about because they have a medical degree, and you self-diagnosed with the help of Google.
This scenario happens across the United States, and every year, patients are the victims of medical gaslighting, where their concerns are dismissed, minimized or invalidated.
Beyond simple miscommunication
Sometimes there are genuine diagnostic challenges or communication breakdowns between doctor and patient. But medical gaslighting goes beyond that. They ignore the data presented to them and make their own assumptions. They may suggest to the patient that “it’s all in their head,” attribute their problems to stress or anxiety or simply dismiss the patient’s concerns based on demographics.
However, this can be a direct path to misdiagnoses. When they replace clinical curiosity with skepticism, they often skip essential diagnostics. This can lead to missed red flags of serious conditions. A significant number of misdiagnoses stem from cognitive biases, which are common medical gaslighting behaviors.
The first two elements of a medical malpractice suit are:
- Did the doctor owe the patient a duty of care?
- Did the doctor breach that duty of care?
Duty of care involves several key obligations, such as conducting a thorough patient assessment, maintaining clinical objectivity, ordering the appropriate diagnostic tests if needed and documenting their clinical decision-making. When the doctor engages in medical gaslighting and refuses to meet those obligations, they breach that duty.
The other elements of medical malpractice are:
- Was there a direct link between the doctor’s breach and the patient’s injury?
- Were there damages due to the breach, such as lost wages, medical expenses and pain and suffering?
When medical gaslighting results in a patient’s harm, the doctor must be held accountable. A legal professional can evaluate the situation and determine if it’s grounds for a medical malpractice lawsuit. They can help ensure justice is served.