As we all know, medical mistakes are increasing day by day, causing serious injuries and long-term consequences. Generally, healthcare professionals provide standard care for their patients, but a few medical practitioners, nurses, and doctors make huge medical errors. This is known as medical malpractice.
Based on recent statistics, nearly 1 in 4 patients have experienced medical malpractice in US hospitals. If the healthcare professional fails to offer good care for the health condition of their patient, a medical malpractice claim can be filed. Their medical professional misconduct results in injury or death to the patient. Medical malpractice law makes the injured patient recover their losses and damages. Hiring medical malpractice lawyers can add more benefits to your case.
Wondering what are the five situations when you should consult a medical malpractice lawyer? Have a look below.
Medication Errors
Medication mistakes may occur in various forms. For instance, physicians may fail to review or prescribe the wrong medicines to patients. A nurse administering the wrong dosage or the pharmacist giving the wrong medication also falls under medication errors. All these medication errors may cause serious consequences.
Misdiagnoses
A doctor failing to perform the tests required to identify a health condition or diagnosing a patient with a non-existent condition falls under medical malpractice or negligence. The symptoms may ruin the patient's health or lead to life-altering injuries.
Surgical Errors
Most patients may be exposed to certain risks during the invasive procedure, but they have the right to file a claim when the surgeon makes surgical errors. Here are a few surgical errors:
- Operating on the wrong site
- Puncturing an organ
- Operating on the wrong patient
- Damaging nerves
- Performing the wrong procedures
- Failing to take the proper measures to prevent infection
- Leaving foreign objects or sponges inside the patient's body
Anesthesia Errors
Anesthesia errors have a higher potential to cause severe respiratory distress, neurological complications, and death. When the anesthesiologist gives too little or too much anesthesia, the patient can file a medical malpractice claim. Here are some of the anesthesia errors:
- Delayed delivery of anesthesia
- Anesthesia dosage error
- Failure to intubate
- Shutting off the alarm on the pulse oximeter
- Faulty equipment
- Dangerously prolonged sedation
- Failure to properly inform a patient of instructions before, during, or after the procedure
- Failure to recognize and respond to anesthesia complications
- Patient monitoring failures
When medical malpractice claims depend on anesthesia errors, the defendant is the healthcare provider, anesthesiologist, or doctor.
Childbirth Injuries
Medical errors occur during delivery and labor. This type of medical negligence has tragic consequences for both the mother and child. Proving damages and liability in birth injury cases can be challenging. So, the lawyer needs to have more experience dealing with these cases.
Here are some examples of medical negligence:
- The baby didn't get sufficient oxygen during delivery and labor, which contributed to brain damage.
- The doctor used an instrument incorrectly, such as a forceps or vacuum. It led to various health problems, such as nerve damage, brain hemorrhage, and skull fracture.
- Healthcare physicians can commit medical negligence before birth happens, which contributes to severe health complications. They could miss signs of problems on the fetal heart monitor, or they may fail to interpret ultrasound results appropriately.
Medical malpractice may also be due to a doctor's improper management of a delivery or complicated pregnancy. The following conditions fall under this category.
- Prolonged labor
- Prolapsed or compressed umbilical cord
- Abnormal fetal or maternal bleeding
- Maternal infections
- Detached placenta
- Prolonged labor
Conclusion
If you are involved in medical malpractice, it is important to be aware that every situation is different and needs a clear examination of specific factors.
Keep in mind that before consulting a medical malpractice attorney, you should collect all the necessary evidence, which includes medical records and orders. This information will help them identify the causes and possible compensation.
