Medical malpractice occurs when a health care expert neglects to deliver proper treatment, fail to take a correct action or gives poor treatment which causes damage, injuries or death to a patient. Medical malpractice usually includes a medical error which can be in diagnosis, erroneous medicine dose, health management, treatment or after care services. In United States, medical malpractice is the third primary cause of death. The specific rates of medical malpractice and the law governing this area of law vary amongst states.
The Philadelphia medical malpractice lawyers at Wieand Law Firm represent clients who have fallen victim to medical malpractice. Some common types of medical malpractice are:
→Misdiagnosis/Delayed Cancer Diagnosis
→Anesthesia errors
→Surgical errors
→ Prescription drug errors
Misdiagnosis
According to recent studies misdiagnosis is a condition which is the main type of error made by the physicians. The most common misdiagnosed diseases are infections, cancers, brain injuries, blood clots in the lung and heart disease. Misdiagnosis often occurs with complex conditions. In other cases, it happens when doctors jump to conclusions as to the diagnosis without running the appropriate tests. Consequences of misdiagnosis can be life threatening and even fatal because the doctor has been treating the wrong conditions while the pertinent issue remains untreated. Delayed diagnosis is similar to misdiagnosis. In this situation, a medical provider fails to timely diagnose a condition or disease which results in harm to the patient.
Anesthesia Errors
These errors are comparatively rare, but can be more perilous than other medical malpractices. Even a small error by the anesthesiologist can result in lasting injuries, brain damages or death. The usual reasons of malpractice by the anesthesiologist include administering the wrong dosage of anesthesia, failing to examine the medical history of patient, or failing to notify the patient about essential preoperative actions.
Surgical Errors
Surgical errors can have substantial effects on a patient’s quality of life. There is a common confusion that because the patient signed an agreement form admitting the risks of intraoperative problems or even death the patient should not be able to sue for his/her injuries. This is incorrect. Although some bad outcomes may be a risk of the procedure, this is not always the case. If the doctor breaches the standard of care and causes harm during surgery, the patient may have a medical malpractice cause of action against him/her. Examples of surgical errors include:
→Execution the inappropriate procedure
→Performing unnecessary surgery
→Damaging organs, nerves, or muscles during surgery
→Managing an improper amount of anesthesia
→Using non-sterile surgical instruments
→Leaving medical tools inside the patient
→Providing insufficient care after operation
Prescription Drug Errors
Prescription drug errors affect numerous people every year. Most of the cases of medicine drug errors go either ignored or unreported by the patient. However, prescription errors are one of the most common forms of medical malpractice and can result in serious injury or turn deadly. Some of the common drug errors which constitute medical malpractice includes:
→Administration or prescription of wrong medicines
→Incorrect dosage
→Failure to anticipate complications
→Mixing incompatible medications
→Illegal prescriptions
If you believe that you have been a victim of medical malpractice due to the neglectful actions of a doctor or health care provider, there might be grounds for financial reimbursement. Facing staggering bills and injuries can be devastating, but you don’t have to steer this difficult period unaccompanied. Each state has a statute of limitations that sets a particular time limit for filing a medical malpractice case. Thus, you must act quickly to preserve your rights.
Thanks to our friends and contributors at the Wieand Law Firm for their insight into medical malpractice.
Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and is not legal advice.