Healthcare is one of the core systems in every country. Unfortunately, sometimes the people in charge of caring for patients make mistakes.
When healthcare professionals make mistakes or don’t follow proper procedures, it can lead to malpractice. However, if medical malpractice does occur, you are entitled to compensation.
To better understand what constitutes medical malpractice and how much you can get in compensation, it is best to consult with a medical malpractice attorney. They can analyze your case and help you with the whole process. Below are some examples of the most common examples of malpractice.
The Wrong Diagnosis or Misdiagnosis
This is the most common mistake made by medical staff that is considered a malpractice case. A wrong diagnosis can even threaten people’s lives. It is essential to check with your doctors that they understand your symptoms and that there is no room for errors. Misdiagnosis most often happens with flu, cold, respiratory sickness, and cancer.
A misdiagnosis will increase the chance for the medical condition to get worse. It can lead to a waste of money and time since the patient will spend their money on the wrong treatment options. Receiving the wrong medication can make you sick or worsen your condition. A wrong diagnosis will waste valuable time and even aggravate the symptoms. The worst outcome can be death.
Sometimes doctors will not consider all the symptoms. They may ignore evidence that can lead to the proper diagnosis. A common situation is when doctors ignore test results because they assume they know what is wrong with their patients.
That is why it is always suggested that patients get a second opinion from another qualified doctor if they have a serious illness. If a patient receives a wrong diagnosis, they can check with a professional attorney to see if it could be a malpractice case.
Injuries during Childbirth
Childbirth is one of the most common procedures in hospitals. Even though it occurs so often, cases of malpractice can happen nonetheless. The injuries a woman can suffer during childbirth can vary and can hurt the mother and her baby. If that happens, the mother is entitled to compensation and should proceed accordingly to receive it if medical malpractice was the cause of her injury.
Usually, malpractice during childbirth is related to surgical procedures like a Caesarean section, but hemorrhages are also common. The baby can suffer due to a lack of oxygen or be injured during a forceps delivery.
Surgical Errors
There were many cases in which surgeries were done on the wrong part of the body. Some doctors have even left surgical tools inside of patients as well. All of these cases can negatively impact patients’ lives, and the compensation for those malpractice cases can get very high.
Anesthesia Errors
As some medical processes are painful, anesthesia is used to render the patient unconscious so they do not experience the pain of the surgical procedure. Anesthesiologists sometimes make mistakes regarding the dosage; a patient can receive a low dose and feel pain but is unable to move or speak, so they cannot tell the medical team what is happening to them. They can also receive a dose that is too large and suffer damage to the liver and other organs.
If the proper amount of anesthetic is not administered, it is a sign of negligence of the medical staff, and it is considered malpractice.
Hospital Infections
Infections can happen anywhere, but you would not expect to get one from the sterile confines of a hospital. Unfortunately, some of the most serious infections are from hospitals or other medical centers. Sick people pass through hospitals daily, so thorough cleaning is needed.
Pathogens can have different impacts on the body. If a patient is already sick and gets an infection, it can lead to death. There are cases where internal organs are affected, or the sickness gets worse and requires additional treatment. All of these examples can be caused by malpractice since the medical centers should take care to disinfect their facilities.
Getting discharged too early
Depending on the sickness and its treatment, sometimes patients are required to stay in a hospital. However, there are cases when patients were discharged before it was safe to do so.
Their health decayed instead of improving because they still needed treatment. Early discharge can be malpractice because the healthcare facility failed to treat their patient with the necessary amount of care they needed.
Faulty Equipment
Medical institutions and their employees have to check their equipment and maintain it regularly. There are cases when faulty equipment is used, harming the patients.
For example, during surgery, everything the doctor uses should be checked beforehand. If a bone saw breaks during the surgery, this will lead to damage, scars, and a more extended period of surgery. Infected equipment can also be considered faulty. The equipment needs to be clean and sterile. Otherwise, it can lead to infections or even organ failure.