Five Types of Medical Malpractice

Physicians, nurses, or other health care professionals should provide their patients with the highest level of care possible. If the doctor does not meet these standards, they may be liable for medical malpractice.

Medical malpractice is an error committed by a health care professional that harms the patient. An experienced medical malpractice attorney can help with the complex task of sorting through your options following a medical malpractice incident.

Malpractices Associated with Medical Care

Some common and preventable medical errors that lead to medical malpractice claims include:

Misdiagnosis. As long as doctors deny patients the necessary treatment due to misdiagnosis, it counts as malpractice. Misdiagnosis refers to when a doctor examines a patient but fails to diagnose the correct condition. The doctor may have diagnosed the patient with a condition they do not have or incorrectly diagnosed the patient with no discernible illness.

Note: Mistaken diagnoses are not always malpractice. Malpractice only occurs if the doctor fails to follow best practices in a similar circumstance and causes harm to the patient.

Failure to Treat. A doctor can reach the right diagnosis but fail to prescribe adequate treatment. This is called failure to treat. The failure-to-treat problem typically occurs when physicians treat too many patients. This has been dubbed “profit over safety.” Thus, the doctors do not adhere to the basic standard of care for all patients. Some are negligent in following up with patients, failing to refer them to specialists or release patients too soon.

Prescription Medication Errors. As the patient, you have complete trust in the professionals and you expect what you receive from the doctor or nurse, and the pharmacy is right. Medication errors can occur from the prescription, administration, or the pharmacist giving the wrong medicine.

Surgery Errors. Surgical errors can significantly impact the quality of life of a patient. Since they signed a consent form, the patient often believes that they cannot sue for damages if intraoperative complications or even death occurs. Even if a physician informs a patient that there is a possibility of death during an ankle operation, this does not mean the physician can perform the wrong amount of anesthesia or, in an extreme case, perform a completely different type of surgery.

Medical Product Liability. Several companies manufacture the equipment that doctors use for a variety of different procedures. Defective medical products injure many people before their defects are discovered. If something goes wrong during a surgical procedure or afterward, and you find the product poorly designed, you can make a claim.

Birth Injuries. Both mother and child can experience trauma during labor and delivery. When a doctor makes a mistake, both can suffer serious injuries. Errors made during delivery can adversely affect your child for many years to come. A child who suffers a brain injury can suffer developmental delays and impaired speech and cognition for the rest of their lives.

The financial losses and suffering you have endured may be compensable if you have experienced a severe injury because of a doctor’s negligence. Contact our knowledgeable and compassionate legal team if you or a loved one has been affected by a preventable medical error.

If you live in Fort Lauderdale, Boca Raton, Weston, Miami, West Palm Beach, or one of the other surrounding Florida communities and need a malpractice attorney, Hunker Appeals is here to provide a smooth path through the process.

Call or email Hunker Appeals now to set up a consultation.

Hunker Appeals, 110 Southeast 6th Street, Suite 2330, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33301 877-841-8808.

Email: [email protected]

Website: https://hunkerappeals.com

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