When you go to a doctor for treatment of an illness or injury, you trust the medical staff and facility to care for you. Unfortunately, sometimes a medical professional can do more harm than good. If a doctor accidentally misses key symptoms, or a nurse administers the wrong drug, it could result in serious harm to the patient. If you or someone you love was harmed by a negligent medical professional, it is important that you understand how medical malpractice cases work and what you can do.
About Medical Malpractice
Medical malpractice cases are very serious types of personal injury lawsuits. If a doctor, nurse, pharmacist, or other medical professional acts negligently or carelessly, resulting in an injured patient, they could be found guilty of medical malpractice. Sometimes these errors result in only pain or discomfort, but sometimes it could cause serious, lasting impairments or psychological trauma. In worst-case scenarios, cases of medical malpractice can also end in death.
There are several different types of medical malpractice, but some of the most common cases include:
Misdiagnosis
If a doctor fails to examine all of the patient’s symptoms or does not order all of the appropriate tests, it could likely result in a misdiagnosis. Misdiagnosis could seriously delay a patient’s ability to receive adequate care, or might prevent them from receiving the care they need until it is too late. In some cases, a misdiagnosis could even be life-threatening.
Medication Errors
Mistakes involving the prescription or administration of prescription drugs can result in very serious side-effects. Sometimes patients might be given drugs they are allergic to, leading to a severe reaction, or pharmacists might fill a prescription with the wrong medication. Or, doctors may fail to recognize signs of opioid addiction in a patient and continue to fill prescriptions, which can lead to an accidental or intentional overdose. While in a hospital, nurses might administer the incorrect amount of a drug, which can also have fatal consequences.
Surgical Errors
Surgical errors can be extremely dangerous and may cause permanent damage. Although these types of cases are less common, they are not any less serious. Surgeons might accidentally puncture an organ, sever a nerve, or operate on the wrong body part. Sometimes surgeons might even leave surgical equipment inside the body.
Birth Injuries
Even with modern medicine, childbirth remains a complicated and dangerous ordeal. Birth injuries can hurt the baby, mother, or both, and can result in life-long impairments or death. Childbirth injuries usually occur in more complicated situations, like when the mother is in labor prematurely, the baby is in breach, the mother has been in labor for an extensive period of time, or the baby is larger than average. Common types of mistakes may involve the incorrect use of forceps or other birthing tools, failure to move the mother to a necessary caesarian section, or incorrect delivery of the baby. Any of these errors could cause nerve damage, broken bones, or brain damage to the baby, and could result in hemorrhage, excessive pain, or death to the mother.
If you or someone you love was injured or otherwise harmed by a negligent or careless healthcare professional, our firm can help. You may be eligible to obtain compensation for pain and suffering, medical expenses, loss of wages, and other damages.
Contact the Law Offices of Vic Feazell, P.C. today to get started.