Despite what most people might believe, doctors and hospitals are not immune to making mistakes. Sometimes, those mistakes are egregious enough to rise to the level where litigation is needed. A recent study from the National Library of Medicine found that over a quarter of million deaths might be caused by medical errors, with a substantial amount more going unreported. Medical mistakes come in all shapes and sizes, and no matter the situation, you should contact a personal injury attorney who can help you better understand what options are available to you following an injury from a doctor.
Medical Malpractice Explained
We recently touched on the basics of medical malpractice in Florida and what you can expect when you head into a medical malpractice lawsuit. Simply put, you might have a claim for medical malpractice if a healthcare provider caused an injury by failing to meet the accepted standard of care in the industry. Importantly, a mistake or misdiagnosis by itself is not enough to warrant a successful claim – you need to prove they acted negligently after a duty of care was established.
Today, we will elaborate more on what types of medical mistakes are common in the healthcare industry, giving you a heads-up should something terrible happen to you or a family member. Contacting an attorney and starting the evidence-gathering process as soon as possible gives you the best shot at recovering compensation following an injury.
Common Medical Mistakes
Knowing which medical mistakes are most common allows you to quickly identify when a problem might have occurred, increasing your odds of a safe recovery and possible compensation down the line.
Misdiagnosis – A misdiagnosis is by far the most common type of medical mistake. A misdiagnosis occurs when healthcare professionals gather data regarding your symptoms and health tests but fail to identify the actual condition causing them. As we mentioned, not all mistakes result in a valid medical malpractice claim. If you develop an extremely rare condition that initially has similar symptoms to a more common ailment, it can be next to impossible for a proper diagnosis at those early stages. A misdiagnosis that rises to the level of negligence occurs when a healthcare professional ignores obvious evidence, makes mistakes that others wouldn’t, or fails to try to identify the illness. Similar to a misdiagnosis, a delayed diagnosis can be equally as damaging, as it slows your ability to receive effective treatment to combat the condition.
Medication/Prescription Errors – Medication errors can take many forms, from incorrect dosage to prescribing the wrong drug. Medications often have nasty side effects for certain at-risk individuals, so malpractice can occur if your doctor fails to adequately consider these concerns when prescribing a new medication.
Surgery/Implantation Errors – Most surgeries have a known risk that the patient is informed of beforehand, but egregious mistakes can still occur during the process. Additionally, improperly installed medical devices can be life-threatening, not to mention that they don’t do their job of helping an injured patient with their primary health concern.
Birth Injuries – Expecting mothers rely on healthcare professionals during their time of need, but nurses and doctors that cause unnecessary injuries to either the mother or infant can be found negligent in civil court.
If you suspect your doctor has caused you pain or injuries through negligence, you should immediately make any concerns known to medical professionals and contact a personal injury attorney.
At Probinsky & Cole, we never get paid unless we win your case. Contact us today to learn how we can help you with your medical malpractice case and fight for the compensation you deserve.
