When you are feeling ill and seek help from a medical professional, you would expect their treatment to work and your condition to improve. This is not the case for everyone; medical negligence was the third leading cause of death in the United States in 2018.
If you suspect that you have suffered from medical negligence, but are not entirely sure, we will discuss what medical negligence encompasses and the most common types.
What Is Medical Negligence?
Medical negligence or medical malpractice is when a medical professional fails to provide an accepted standard of medical care. The accepted standard of care refers to the same standard of care than any other medical professional with a similar background could have provided under the same circumstances that led to the malpractice claim.
Negligence on its own cannot be a cause for a claim if the doctor made a mistake, but was not harmful or did not impact the patient’s health. If a patient is harmed, there may be a cause for a medical negligence case then.
Common Types of Medical Negligence
If you are unsure whether you suffered from medical negligence, we will explore some of the most common types. These include misdiagnosis, surgical errors, childbirth errors, anesthesia errors, and more.
Misdiagnosis: Without the proper diagnosis, a doctor is unable to provide the appropriate treatment for a patient, and this might result in more severe consequences. Diagnosing incorrectly may lead to not only ineffective but harmful treatments or prescriptions.
Surgical errors and anesthesia errors: These usually do not need a lot of evidence because they are quite evident. If any equipment was left in the patient’s body or if the doctor operated in the wrong body part, the claim can be supported. Anesthesia can cause tragic consequences such as brain injury or death if not keeping track of a patient’s vitals or if defective.
Childbirth errors: These errors from medical professionals can be inflicted on either the newborn or the mother. Any failure to meet the proper standard of care may result in medical negligence.
Contact An Attorney For A Case Evaluation
If you are unsure if you experienced medical negligence, or if you are seeking fair compensation, we offer free case evaluations.
At The Hashem Law Firm, our attorneys have over 3 decades of experience with cases like yours. Let our medical negligence attorneys put their expertise to work for you. We will guide you through all the necessary steps.