Medical malpractice occurs when negligence on behalf of a doctor in a doctor-patient relationship causes an injury, which then leads to significant harm for the patient in question. If you believe that you or someone close to you has experienced harm due to medical malpractice in the past, consider booking a consultation with a medical malpractice lawyer.
However, if you are not sure whether this description is relevant to you or anyone in your life, read on to learn about some of the most common reasons people will file a medical malpractice claim.
Misdiagnosis
Nearly 12 million people each year in the United States are misdiagnosed with a condition of some kind. One of the reasons that misdiagnosis is so common is because some diseases can have obscure symptoms or could share a large number of symptoms with another illness, which makes them more difficult to accurately and conclusively diagnose.
If a proper diagnosis is not made, it is nearly impossible for a doctor to implement a treatment plan for a patient that will be successful, given that the treatment plan is not treating what is actually wrong with the patient. If you are misdiagnosed and the treatment given to you causes you harm, you may have valid grounds to file a medical malpractice claim.
Failure to diagnose
Similar to misdiagnosis, this is also a common medical malpractice claim. If a medical professional fails to diagnose a person, it can cause them not only physical harm but also put a large financial burden on them if they have to keep visiting different specialists and seeking potentially erroneous treatment.
Prescription errors
If a patient is given the wrong medication, the wrong dosage of the correct medication, or is not made aware of the full extent of side effects that a particular medication may cause, they may be eligible to file a successful medical malpractice claim.
When it comes to determining a responsible party in this case, the liability could rest with anyone from the doctor who prescribed the medicine, the pharmacist who provided the medicine, or the drug manufacturers who developed the medicine.
If the patient is not made fully aware of the side effects of a medication, procedure, or treatment, it is in violation of a medical professional’s duty of informed consent. This means the duty that a medical professional has to make the patient aware of any side effects a treatment could bring.
If the patient would not have chosen to go through with the treatment process after learning about all the side effects, then this failure could be grounds for yet another form of medical malpractice claim.
Birth injuries
Almost one in every five medical malpractice cases are filed against OBGYNs, more cases than are filed against any other type of doctor. In cases of birth injury, either the mother or the child could be the victims of medical malpractice.
If a medical professional is negligent while assisting during childbirth, it can lead to complications such as spinal cord injuries, fetal distress, and postpartum hemorrhage. (Postpartum hemorrhage is the most common cause of maternal death after delivering a child.) Some medical malpractice lawyers specialize in helping people file malpractice claims after birth injuries.
Anesthesia errors
If administered improperly, anesthesia can be incredibly dangerous. If an anesthesiologist is not attentive enough to a patient’s medical history or administers too much anesthesia, the consequences of these actions or inactions could be deadly.
Malpractice regarding anesthesia can happen either before or after an operation, as well as in outpatient clinics and dental offices.
Final thoughts
If you believe that you or someone in your life has suffered unduly due to medical negligence, contact a medical malpractice lawyer and set up a consultation immediately. Some states have statutes of limitations after which medical professionals cannot be sued for negligence, so it is important to act fast.
