We’re all human and we make mistakes, but there are certain fields where your mistakes can have dire consequences on your career. The world of medicine is a career field where there’s no room for error, simply because patient lives are at stake. And although doctors and other medical professionals have been known to make medical errors and mistakes from negligence, what’s rarely discussed is how these medical mistakes drastically, and sometimes permanently, impact the lives of those who fall victim to medical malpractice.
Unfortunately, those who fall victim to medical malpractice don’t even seek compensation for what they’ve been through. This happens more often than it should, and it’s usually for these reasons:
- They’re not sure if their situation is a medical malpractice situation
- They wait too long to talk to a lawyer and the statute of limitations expires
- They think that it’s just “one of those things” that happens in a medical setting
- Doctor or medical provider tells them “it’s normal”
- Fear of going against their medical provider
Injuries from medical malpractice are serious and with the limited timeframe you have to file a lawsuit, you need to immediately contact a personal injury lawyer that has extensive experience in medical malpractice cases. If you or a loved one have been injured at the hands of a doctor or other medical professional, you need to contact a firm such as the law firm of Chad Stavley.
If you’re unsure whether or not you’ve suffered from medical malpractice and need to consult with a lawyer for a possible case. Take a look at the different types of medical errors that may determine if you have a case or not.
Medical malpractice Errors That Call For a Personal Injury Lawyer
Surgical Errors
Surgical errors can have a permanent impact on a patient’s life and/or quality of life. With most surgical procedures, patients’ are required to sign a consent form before the procedure, acknowledging that they know and understand the risk involved with the surgery and that if any complications or death are the results, they can’t sue for any damages or injuries incurred. Because they signed that form, it leads patients to believe that they indeed can’t sue.
Well, this misleading perception isn’t true. Just because a doctor forewarns their patients that they can potentially die during surgery, that doesn’t mean that their doctor can not administer enough anesthesia, leaving the patient to feel pain during the entire surgery or that the doctor makes the mistake of performing the wrong surgery on the wrong patient… they can’t get away with that.
Some examples of medical malpractice with surgical errors include:
- Leaving surgical equipment inside a patient
- Nerve, organ, or tissue damage from surgery
- Performing the wrong or unnecessary surgery
- Administering too much or too little anesthesia
- Improper after-care post-surgery
- Using unsterile equipment
Birth Injury
More and more women are doing everything they can to ensure a healthy pregnancy and delivery. Everything from prenatal tests and exercising to taking prenatal vitamins and eating healthier, expectant mothers want nothing more than a healthy baby. Unfortunately, their efforts can all go down the drain at the hands of their negligent doctor or healthcare provider.
According to rightdiagnosis.com, three birth injuries happen every hour and 28,000 happen every year… those numbers are pretty alarming. What’s even more alarming than that is the fact that when birth injuries occur, hospitals will oftentimes blame the mother for the injuries, stating that her pre-existing condition is the reason for her child’s birth injury in attempts to prevent a lawsuit.
Failure to Treat
With failure to treat, the doctor gives the patient the right diagnosis but doesn’t provide the right type of treatment. This type of malpractice typically occurs when a doctor has too many patients and ends up being negligent in treatment. This is what you would call when a doctor puts profits over safety, and the field of medicine is the wrong field to get “money-hungry.”
Some examples of failure to treat include:
- Failing to refer a patient to a specialist
- Releasing a patient too soon from a medical facility
- Failing to provide follow-up care or information on follow-up care
Misdiagnosis
Misdiagnosing a patient is when a doctor examines a patient but diagnoses them with the wrong illness or condition. Can you imagine the emotional damage a patient can suffer when they’re told they have a life-threatening disease and they really don’t?
The malpractice comes in because the patient isn’t receiving the correct treatment for the actual condition they have… they’re receiving treatment they don’t need for something they don’t have, which could actually be doing more damage to their body.
