No one wants to imagine the possibility of dealing with medical malpractice. You just want to be treated properly and get over the illness or ailment that you are dealing with. Still, it is important to recognize that malpractice is common. In fact, it should be noted that 90 percent of all claims made in large American counties are made by people suing due to permanent damage or even the death of a loved one. You need to know what medical malpractice looks like, and you need to know what you can do about it.
1. Misdiagnosis or Delayed Diagnosis
Identifying this type of malpractice really has to do with the ability to compare your doctor’s actions to another in his or her field of expertise. What needs to be evident is that another competent doctor would have handled your case differently. The other doctor would have performed additional tests based solely on the information that your doctor had at the time. Proving this would definitely show that there was an unnecessary delay in your diagnosis. This could cause permanent damage to you or even the death of a loved one.
2. Medical Errors
Your doctor has your life or the life of your loved in his or her hands. It is understandable that a doctor’s ability to be diligent is held to a whole new level. Errors come in many forms. For example, a doctor can prescribe the wrong medicine or the wrong dosage. A doctor’s nurse can misinterpret the dosage of the medicine, too. A doctor can also fail to investigate a patient’s medical history before administering things like medicine or anesthesia, which can lead to a tragic outcome. A doctor could also show negligence on the operating table should the doctor fail to remove instruments from the body or disinfect tools properly, which could lead to infections.
3. The Aftermath
The first thing one should do is find a way to correct any damage that has been done, which could save your life or the life of your loved one, but you need to start thinking about what you can do about the doctor. The best thing that you can do is contact expert attorneys, such as one from McLaughlin & Lauricella, P.C., who have a lot of experience with medical malpractice cases. Your lawyer will focus on all suffering and costs that this malpractice has caused you.
Hopefully, you never have to worry about this particular issue and this information stays filed under the “just in case” section of your mind, but at least you are prepared.
Author Info: Hannah Whittenly is a freelance writer and mother of two from Sacramento, CA. She enjoys kayaking and reading books by the lake. You can find her on Twitter.
