Medical negligence is a serious offense because it is a betrayal of trust in a promised service. A patient is assured of medical practitioners’ professional competence, and he places implicit confidence in his knowledge and expertise. A misdiagnosis, a faulty medical treatment, or absence of appropriate care can have severe consequences for the patient, resulting in irreparable harm or injury. Scenarios where a medical service, a doctor, nurses, technicians, and other medical workers fail to provide appropriate treatments or compromise on the necessary care entitle you to recover the damages in a medical malpractice suit.
You can file a malpractice suit against a medical practitioner for neglecting his duty, illegal or unethical practices, such as breach of doctor-patient confidentiality and lack of consent, and misdiagnosis and medical negligences. To give you a better idea, we are listing some of the most common reasons to file a medical negligence lawsuit below:
- Misdiagnosis Or Delayed Diagnosis
The most common cause of malpractice in any health center is the misdiagnosis or delayed diagnosis of a disease. Sometimes doctors cannot recognize evident symptoms of illness due to their careless attitude. Some of them might mistreat a patient for the misdiagnosed symptoms, increasing the patient’s suffering to a great extent. This failure calls for justice in favor of the patient.
- Childbirth injuries
Child injuries due to medical negligence can be one of the most regrettable experiences a newborn’s parents can suffer. For instance, severe spine and brain injuries during childbirth can result in permanent disabilities like Erb’s Palsy and Cerebral Palsy. In that case, filing a lawsuit to get compensation for the loss may be the right decision. The good news is that you can connect with firms like the Birth Injury Justice Center which can provide you with the legal assistance you need to take necessary legal action.
- Anesthesia Mistakes
Anesthesia is commonly used in both inpatient and outpatient operation procedures. Anesthesia mistakes can be fatal, especially if the patient is not monitored carefully or those in charge do not record the patient’s medical history. Drug interactions, organ failure, allergic reactions, brain damage, and heart attacks are possible side effects of anesthesia errors.
- Premature Patient Discharge
Patients may get an early discharge from the health care facility. At times, patients are discharged before receiving the full treatment and without fully comprehending the severity of their medical condition. As a result, the patient suffers when a chronic condition worsens over time. Typically, this happens due to patient saturation in hospital wards or the physicians’ lack of a follow-up examination.
- Surgical Mishaps
You might have heard about patients whose abdomens were reopened to remove the foreign object left inside during the previous surgery. These mishaps can occur during surgical procedures either by the careless staff or the surgeon. Surgical malpractice is an irresponsible act deserving a proper lawsuit due to the severe harm that it may cause to a patient. There are specialized surgical malpractice lawyers who have expertise in this area. They can provide legal help and help the patients get total compensation for any damages resulting from negligence.
- Emergency Room Mistakes
At times, emergency rooms can be chaotic. It is because doctors have to deal with such a diverse range of injuries, illnesses, and other medical conditions. Thus, doctors may misdiagnose, neglect to treat a critical injury, or even come up with the wrong prescription in their rush to manage the situation. The long-term implications of this may qualify you for a malpractice claim.
- Disregarding Patient’s Medical History
Hospitals have proper database systems for tracking patient history. Patients’ previous medical records list their existing health conditions and prescribed drugs. Most detailed examinations and consultations refer to the patient history following a thorough checkup. This process ensures that an accurate diagnosis is made and the proper medication is recommended after a careful physical examination.
Medical professionals can deliver quality patient care by using the correct assessment techniques. If the doctor or hospital staff do not pay attention to the patients’ medical history, it would lead to a faulty assessment of the patient’s condition and compromise the final diagnosis and treatments. Wrong treatments or prescribing medicines that clash with a patient’s existing medical conditions can threaten the patient’s health. Therefore, taking patient history into account is necessary to prevent poor patient handling. For example, a patient with diabetes should avoid corticosteroids as it increases insulin resistance and messes with blood sugar levels.
- Uninformed Consent
A physician’s job is to provide a patient with all the information necessary to make an educated decision about undergoing surgery before the procedure. Doctors must provide information regarding the surgical procedure, potential benefits and risks, and possible alternatives. If the patient did not get sufficient information, even if they signed the paperwork, their consent will be considered void because they did not give their informed consent. It could expose the hospital to liability for any surgical errors or problems they conduct.
- Faulty Medical Devices
When life-saving medical equipment fails or malfunctions, even if every health care team member does their job perfectly, a patient could be seriously injured. For instance, the oxygen supply to a patient can be cut off suddenly if a medical gadget malfunctions halfway through a surgery. Thus, defective products or poorly maintained equipment may be to blame for these problems. The medical team and the health care facility are responsible for ensuring that the devices used in any treatment process are sound.
The Final Verdict
Health-associated chronic conditions may also be a result of ill-treatment and medical malpractices. People are human and should get quality medical care. Health professionals should also be honest about their jobs and accept errors when they happen. Malpractice and negligence are serious crimes, even if they are unintentional. It is better if both parties can resolve the matter through mutual agreement. However, legal help can solve these issues if hospitals remain stubborn in accepting their mistakes.