4 Common Errors That Might Warrant A Medical Malpractice Suit

Medical malpractice is defined as an incident that results in death or injury due to a medical professional's neglect or an error that was made. Typically, the treatment provided by the health professional will fall below the accepted standards of practice. While many of these complex medical malpractice suits are filed against the doctor and the establishment, other medical caregivers could be subject to a medical malpractice lawsuit as well. It can be difficult to know when medical malpractice has occurred, especially when many people don't really know about medical procedures or how they should be carried out properly. This article will discuss some common errors that occur which may warrant a medical malpractice lawsuit.

Misdiagnosis and Delayed Diagnosis

A large amount of medical malpractice suits actually stem from medical professional's misdiagnosis or delayed diagnosis of an injury, illness, or medical condition. When a doctor gives you the wrong diagnosis, you're left trying to treat something that isn't even really an issue to you. This results in lost time, incorrect treatment, and maybe even no treatment, for the real medical issue you have at hand. This can potentially make your condition worse, and possibly cost you your life.

While a doctor misdiagnosing or delaying a diagnosis isn't evidence of negligence in itself, you need to figure out whether the doctor acted in a competent manner. You can come to your conclusion by considering what your doctor did or didn't do to arrive at their diagnosis. If you believe your doctor was negligent, you'll then need to prove that their misdiagnosis or delayed diagnosis caused your injury or condition to worsen beyond the point it normally would have, had it been treated properly if the correct diagnosis was made in a timely manner.

Injuries In Childbirth

A doctor's malpractice can cause injury to the mother and/or infant before or during childbirth. Failing to diagnose and address medical conditions such as preeclampsia, gestational diabetes, or anemia properly can be extremely risky. In failing to deal with these sorts of conditions properly, the mother will have a difficult pregnancy and also leave herself and the baby in a dangerous position.

Brain injuries, such as cerebral palsy, and bone fractures, can be caused from medical malpractice during delivery. Some other examples of birth-related injuries that can occur as the result of a negligent doctor include excessive bleeding, failure to control maternal bleeding post-delivery, failing to monitor the baby's oxygen intake, and failing to respond to signs of fetal distress.

Medication Errors

Medication errors harm over a million people in America a year, and they can occur in a variety of ways. A doctor prescribing you the improper medication can lead to you harming yourself, particularly if it's aimed at treating a misdiagnosed condition. Sometimes nurses will inject shots in the wrong place or administer the incorrect amount, both of which can result in harm. Different drugs need to be administered in different ways, in different parts of your body.

Anesthesia Errors

Mistakes made in administering anesthesia are usually considered to be more dangerous than mistakes made during a surgical procedure. The reason for this is that the smallest error on the anesthesiologist's part can result in you or your loved one suffering permanent brain damage, injury, or even death.

If your anesthesiologist fails to look over your medical history for any potential complications, or fails to inform you of what sort of risks are involved if instructions prior to the operation aren't followed by you properly, these are considered errors and acts of negligence. The anesthesiologist failing to monitor vital signs properly, not intubating properly, and administering too much anesthetic, are also considered errors and acts of negligence.

If you believe you or someone you care about has suffered serious permanent damage due to a healthcare professional providing you with treatment that falls below the accepted standard, you may have a case on your hands. Contact a medical malpractice lawyer to see what legal recourse you may have. You can see this site to find a medical malpractice lawyer.