What Are Common Types of Medical Malpractice?
Medical Malpractice Lawyer
Health care mistakes happen. Some of these mistakes are simply human error. Others are due to negligence. The doctor or provider did not provide competent care. Medical malpractice cases are those that arise to a level of incompetence or negligence and harmed a patient. Not all mistakes equal malpractice. Medical malpractice cases must meet legal standards, which generally include four things:
- There was a doctor-patient relationship.
- The doctor (or provider) was negligent.
- The act of negligence caused harm.
- The harm led to specific damages.
It can be difficult to show each of these elements. If a consulting doctor made the error, it might be hard to show that doctor had a relationship with the patient. If a patient dies from cancer following a doctor’s error, it can be difficult to demonstrate that the error caused the death rather than the cancer. Demonstrating that a doctor was negligent in the first place can be difficult.
Here are four types of common medical malpractice errors.
Childbirth Injuries
Even with all of the modern technologies, pregnancy and delivery are complicated medical events. Some doctors fail to provide adequate prenatal care, failing to identify a mother’s medical condition or doesn’t identify birth defects in the baby. During delivery, doctors may not respond to signs of distress or they may misuse forceps and harm the baby.
Medication Errors
From the time you receive a prescription from your doctor until it is dispensed to you, either by a nurse or pharmacist, there are many ways it can go wrong. The most common error is an incorrect dosage, but it could also be an incorrect medication.
Anesthesia Errors
Too much anesthesia can cause damage to the brain, but other types of errors that could affect you during surgery are when the doctor doesn’t intubate you properly. Essentially, that means that the tube put in your trachea that assists with breathing during surgery wasn’t inserted right. The doctor or anesthesiologist doesn’t monitor your vital signs during the surgery.
Delayed Diagnosis
A misdiagnosis can cause great harm when you don’t get treatment that would help you fight the disease in time to help you. Doctors make diagnostic errors, but it can be hard to show that another doctor would have caught the mistake.
Do You Have a Medical Malpractice Claim?
Proving medical malpractice can take multiple experts that demonstrate each element of the claim. Talk to an experienced medical malpractice lawyer who can assess your case to take the next steps to get compensation that you deserve.