Millions of healthcare providers engage in dispensing advice, prescriptions, and treatments everyday across the country.  Yet a mistake in any type of medical treatment can be devastating. These mistakes that happen in the healthcare field can have long-lasting or permanent adverse effects on the patient. 

What exactly is medical malpractice? According to Medical News Today, medical malpractice is when a healthcare provider does not give appropriate treatment or action, or gives a treatment that causes harm, injury, or death to a patient. This neglect or failure is a serious matter; any mistake that occurs in a healthcare context requires immediate attention. 

For a case to be considered medical malpractice, there are three factors to consider:

• Failure to provide a proper standard of care

• An injury results from negligence

• The injury must have damaging consequences

This is why it’s important to seek out a personal injury attorney if you or a loved one has suffered from a medical mistake: a healthcare provider is expected to administer a certain standard of care. If they fail to do this, mistakes can and do occur. 

After seeking the guidance of a personal injury attorney, you may be eligible to receive compensation for your injuries. Two types of damages an injured patient may get include compensatory damages and punitive damages. 

In a medical malpractice case, the plaintiff must prove the following: 

• That the doctor had a duty to provide standard care to the patient 

• That the doctor did not provide a certain standard of care 

• This failure resulted in the patient’s injury 

• The resulting injury had substantial damage to the patient’s life 

In this latest blog post, we’ve detailed the five most common reasons for a medical malpractice case. If you have further questions regarding medical malpractice, please feel free to reach out to us. We’d be happy to assist you.  

Misdiagnosis

Misdiagnosis of illnesses or conditions accounts for one of the most common types of medical malpractice cases. When a doctor diagnoses a patient with the incorrect condition, that patient may suffer due to lack of appropriate treatment, surgery, or medication. The patient, however, could also suffer if they are prescribed the incorrect medication or if they undergo needless surgery. 

Circumstances related to misdiagnosis are a lack of diagnosis or a delayed diagnosis. The time wasted while not having a proper diagnosis could lead to serious consequences for the patient. For a progressive disease, the diagnosis should be given as early as possible, especially if the patient seeks medical treatment in a timely fashion. 

Many diseases can worsen if not diagnosed, and can prove to be fatal in those cases. A proper diagnosis can prevent complications and possibly even save lives. 

You must keep in mind that if the perceived negligence occurs without injury, then a patient may not be entitled to file a claim. The plaintiff has the responsibility of proving that the negligence led to injury. The crux of medical malpractice claims is that if the provider had taken necessary steps that adhere to a certain standard of care, then the injury would not have occurred. 

Injuries During Childbirth

If a baby sustains injuries during birth, it could be due to a healthcare provider’s negligence or error. This also goes for a fetus during pregnancy, which can include a failure to diagnose certain conditions the mother may have like preeclampsia, Rh incompatibility, hypoglycemia, anemia, or gestational diabetes. 

When medical malpractice happens during delivery, it usually has to do with birth complications. These could include a doctor failing to address a drop in fetal heart rate, failing to diagnose birth defects, or failing to administer a cesarean section when needed. 

According to HG, some injuries sustained during birth can be quite severe, including seizure disorders, broken bones, paralysis or cerebral palsy. These serious injuries are devastating to families who have to deal with the repercussions for life. In these cases, it is crucial to be able to pay for needed treatments, therapies, and medications. You should therefore find out if your case is eligible for compensation. 

Errors in Medication

Medication mistakes are one of the most common instances that lead to medical malpractice cases. The doctor can mistakenly prescribe the wrong medicine altogether or merely the incorrect dosage. In an in-patient hospital setting, a nurse or doctor could end up giving the wrong medication to the wrong patient. Mistakes such as these can lead to serious consequences. 

Mistakes in medication can also lead to harmful drug interactions. When the doctor prescribes your medication, they should take note of any interactions that might occur with existing medication or with any conditions you might have. If they fail to acknowledge a drug interaction, it could damage your health considerably. 

Errors in Anesthesia 

Another common healthcare error can occur within the anesthesia context. Many times, this type of error has to do with the healthcare provider giving the incorrect dosage of anesthesia prior to surgery. Even very small errors can result in life-altering damage or death, which is why it is so important for healthcare professionals to check and double check dosages.

There are other instances that can contribute to errors in anesthesia. These include a failure to reference the patient’s medical history and their possible reaction to certain anesthesia medicines, a failure to monitor the patient’s vital signs, using faulty tools, or even improperly intubating the patient. 

Errors in anesthesia have extremely serious consequences. It is for this reason that you should seek out a personal injury attorney that specializes in medical malpractice to consult with you on your possible case. Reach out to us at Castan & Lecca to set up an appointment today. 

Errors During Surgery

Common reasons for medical malpractice many times involve surgery. This could include any number of things. The surgeon operates on the wrong part of the body (or “wrong site surgery”), leaves gauze inside of the patient, or actively makes a mistake like puncturing an organ or causing bleeding, or causing nerve damage. These instances listed are just a small sample of errors during surgery. 

There is also something known as “wrong patient surgery” in which a surgery operates on the wrong patient altogether. While this is not as common as wrong site surgery, it can still occur and cause, at the very least, unnecessary recovery or lasting injuries. 

A common mistake that occurs during surgery could involve the use of unsanitary instruments, which could lead to infection or sepsis. This instance could be especially damaging to a patient with a compromised or low immune system and could lead to lasting impacts.  

Conclusion  

There are many different types of lasting damage that one can suffer from a medical mistake. They can include physical injury and pain, emotional suffering, financial impacts, and familial impacts. A life change like this can be devastating to the victims and their families.

While personal injury lawyers cannot turn back time, they can assist you through the difficult process of filing a medical malpractice claim. The compensation you deserve from a medical injury will allow you to regain a feeling of stability and comfort, even in the face of hardship and pain. 

If you believe that your injury could have been avoided if certain steps were taken to ensure your safety and care, you may be eligible for monetary damages. 

This is why it’s important to have medical malpractice case experts on your side from the moment you are injured. Please call us today to set up a free consultation of your case. We are exceptional attorneys who provide you with superior results.