You wish to receive an ideal standard of care whenever you visit the hospital. Despite this, accidents with life-changing results may happen at the hospital. While some accidents may be purely due to a harmless error, most are due to severe errors of medical negligence.
A New York malpractice lawyer states that a minor fault by a doctor can have life-threatening effects that call for a medical malpractice lawsuit.
What Are the Most Common Medical Errors That Result in a Malpractice Lawsuit?
You may be thinking that it is natural for errors to occur at the hospital, and no one is responsible. But this is where you go wrong. Medical malpractice happens when a healthcare professional breaches the standard of care and causes injury or death to the patient.
Medical malpractice cases happen and can have devastating effects on the victim. Here are common medical malpractice errors that result in a lawsuit:
1. Misdiagnosis or Delayed Diagnosis
The first step in the process of medical care is the correct diagnosis of the condition. Misdiagnosis happens when the doctor examines you but fails to identify the disease correctly, or when the doctor diagnoses a patient with a disease different from what they have. It prevents you from receiving the care your condition requires, resulting in medical malpractice.
Delayed diagnosis occurs when the doctor fails to identify the condition at first, only for the patient to receive the correct diagnosis from another doctor or through further treatment. The situation may then become worse, reaching an unsalvageable point. An example of this would be if a patient has an aggressive form of cancer, but instead is treated for Fibromyalgia and trusts the doctor’s decision and treatment plan. Meanwhile, the cancer is running rampant and by the time the patient finds out it’s really cancer, it’s too late to receive effective treatment. To prove malpractice, the lawyer points out that the action was a failure compared to another doctor’s activity in a similar situation.
2. Birth Injuries
A lot of activity happens in the delivery room. However, some activities may result in injuries and disability to both the baby and the mother. Medical malpractice through birth injuries may also result from inadequate prenatal care that may cause harm to the mother and child. Failure to perform a procedure or diagnose a disorder causes injury to the mother or newborn, resulting in medical malpractice.
3. Surgical Errors
You may think that you cannot sue for any surgical errors because you signed forms acknowledging medical liability. Surgical errors such as administering the wrong anesthesia, leaving surgical equipment in your body, or operating on the wrong body part result in a medical malpractice suit.
Poor post-operative care that leads to severe illness for the patient is also grounds for medical malpractice.
4. Failure to Treat Following a Correct Diagnosis
Not all doctors misdiagnose or delay diagnosis for their patients. Some correctly identify the condition, but fail to treat it with the correct standards of care. Discharging a patient too early and applying poor post-discharge follow-up can prolong the medical condition. If you suspect these scenarios, you must sue for medical malpractice.
5. Medication Errors
A medical practitioner may prescribe the wrong medication, improper dosage, or fail to notice the effects of the drug on the patient. Failure to ask for information on the allergic reaction leading to the hazardous interaction of the drug with the patient’s body results in medical malpractice. It happens especially where the drug negatively affects the patient.
It’s Time You Contact a Medical Malpractice Lawyer
If you are in any of these events, it is time to contact a medical malpractice lawyer. Medical malpractice attorneys help determine whether the medical malpractice event was due to negligence by the medical practitioner. The injuries you receive from medical negligence may be painful, but it is possible to get justice for the bodily harm you face at the hands of a medical practitioner.