Medical Negligence and Malpractice

Medical treatment has become more technical and complex over the years. A patient may deal with anesthesiologists, doctors, technicians, residents, pharmacists, nurses and various other medical professionals in hospitals and similar settings such as nursing homes and doctor’s offices. Usually, patients have a great deal of trust in these health professionals. However, there is one thing that these health care professionals are only human beings and mistakes can happen by them too. Unfortunately, sometimes these errors can cause serious injuries and even death to patients. An unsuccessful or unanticipated result is surely unfortunate but it could have been avoidable, a result of mistake, or may fall in the realm of medical negligence or medical malpractice. Medical malpractice occurs when a medical care, advice or treatment provided by a health care professional falls below the standard care required in the medical community. Because of this, there is a high possibility that a patient may sustain severe injury or death. It is more than a mistake. It occurs when a doctor does something that other healthcare professionals would not have done or he fails to do something that most experienced healthcare professionals or doctors would have done.

Examples of Medical Negligence or Medical Malpractice

It is unfortunate when medical health care professionals commit some mistakes as a part of negligence. It is even more tragic when due to such negligence; a patient suffers serious injury or death. Medical malpractice occurs from an action taken by an individual or by the failure to take a proper medical action. Check out some examples medical negligence or medical malpractice:

Lack of informed consent regarding a medical procedure resulting in harm to a patient even after the surgery is performed correctly.

Surgical errors

Failure to provide proper treatment for a medical condition

Wrongly prescribed medications

Unreasonable delay in the treatment of a diagnosed medical condition

Misdiagnose or failure to diagnose a medical condition or disease

According to the study conducted by Harvard University, approximately 120,000 people die every year because of the medical errors committed in hospitals. According to some other estimates, as many as one million people die annually due to the injuries suffered from medical negligence or medical malpractice. Serious and catastrophic injuries include paralysis, brain damage, amputations and birth defects resulting from medical malpractice.

A Medical Negligence or a Medical Malpractice Case

A medical malpractice case begins when a victim or victim’s family in the case of unfair death explains what happened. In order to determine whether there is any viable case or not, a medical expert obtains and reviews patient’s medical record. Unfortunately, medical malpractice or medical negligence claims are amongst the most difficult cases for a victim or their lawyer to win. If you want to bring your medical negligence case to a trial, it is essential to have expert testimony explaining what went wrong, how it should or could have been avoided and how the negligence or wrongdoing caused the serious injury or death to the patient.

If you believe that you or your loved ones suffered any injuries due to medical negligence or medical malpractice then you mat have a legal case.