Medical malpractice and errors due to negligence is a pressing issue across the world. Its impacts can be life-changing and cause permanent damage to a victim. The physical and emotional consequences of injuries caused due to medical negligence can have far-reaching implications. But, many people fail to lodge complaints on time or seek compensation.
Lack of awareness and the dilemmas associated with consulting a lawyer often causes severe damage. Many patients are not sure about medical malpractice in their case. Others take a lot of time to consult a lawyer and even before they know, the window for filing closes. Therefore, if you suspect any wrong-doing, do not wait for it to be over. A medical malpractice attorney can easily help to decide whether or not to file a case.
Considering the serious consequences of medical negligence, it is necessary to have adequate information about the matter. Let’s take a look at the different types of medical malpractices that merits a trial before a court of law.
Misdiagnosis: The inability to diagnose a disease correctly has severe implications on the health of an individual. If a doctor examines a patient and makes a wrong evaluation, it often leads to incorrect treatment. As the patient fails to receive adequate and timely treatment, it is considered a severe offense in the eyes of law. On the contrary, if a healthy patient receives treatment for a disease that he or she does not have, it may result in a serious health hazard. Therefore, it becomes important to critically evaluate a situation and determine the fault of a medical practitioner or a healthcare provider.
Failure to Provide Timely Treatment: Even after a successful diagnosis, many patients do not receive timely treatment. If it results in life-threatening injuries or death, it becomes a clear case of medical negligence. This might happen if doctors start treating too many patients at the same time and fail to deliver the same care standards to every patient. Further, negligence is caused due to improper follow-up or the doctor’s lack of focus to refer the patient to a specialist.
Errors during Surgery: During complex surgeries, precision is key to success and a surgical error may also result in loss of life. So errors during operation, unnecessary operations and damage to organs, nerves or tissues during surgery can be reported as medical negligence. Inability to administer the right anesthesia dosage, use of non-sterile medical equipment or leaving surgical equipment inside the patient’s body can be counted as gross medical failures. In some instances, patients also complain about inadequate care after a surgical procedure. It is, therefore, important to discuss these issues with an expert medical malpractice lawyer.
Childbirth issues: Inadequate prenatal care for the mother and child resulting in severe health complications or death can be considered a case of negligence. Similarly, any injuries inflicted by a doctor during childbirth results in malpractice, if it could have been prevented.
Inappropriate medication and medical equipment: Any harm caused to a patient due to inappropriate medication or the use of improper medical equipment makes manufacturers of these products liable to a negligence case.
If you suspect malpractice, do not hesitate to consult a lawyer immediately. Remember, a timely filing can even get you compensation for the damage.