If you or a family member needs to visit the hospital, it is important that you are informed of your basic rights as patients. There may be times when a doctor makes a mistake, and he or she could be liable for medical malpractice depending on the situation. You may be eligible to sue a doctor for medical malpractice if you suffer due to any one of the following situations. Here are three common types of medical malpractice that anyone visiting the hospital should know.
Disease Caused by Lack of Sanitation
Hospital rooms can be breeding grounds for the transfer or contagious and deadly diseases. You might think there is only a slight chance that you’ll actually contract a disease from visiting the hospital, but several sources have confirmed that almost 100,000 people die every year from diseases they contract while in the hospital. If hospital staff do not properly sanitize the room of you or a loved one, the effect could be disastrous. You could suffer from contagious illnesses or develop an infection after a surgery. The hospital may be liable for lack of sanitation in rooms that lead to your illness and you may be eligible for some type of compensation.
Incorrect Prescription or Dosage
Doctors are human, and often make mistakes. However, since the doctor has been trained in medicine, you trust him or her when they administer a medication to you. You may not realize that a doctor has given you the wrong prescription and take the drugs. It is not uncommon for people to become very ill after receiving a wrong prescription or the wrong dosage. If you develop another illness due to the wrong prescription drug, then a doctor may be liable. He or she may also be liable if you take too many pills of a particular drug due to the prescribed dosage.
Failure to Diagnose
A doctor may also be liable if he or she does not recognize an illness in your or a loved one. For example, if the doctor fails to diagnose cancer in you, this could be grounds for disaster. You may have a medical malpractice lawsuit against a doctor for the condition that results or even for the death of a loved one. It is vital that you speak with a medical malpractice lawyer if a doctor has failed to diagnose a disease within you.. You only have a limited period of time in which to file a claim due to the Statute of Limitations in your state, so this is a situation where you want to act fast.
If you or a family member is receiving medical treatment, it is important to know about how common medical malpractice can be. Many people put a great deal of trust in healthcare professionals and hospital institutions, that it never crosses their mind that a problem was caused by the very people that were supposed to be helping.Taking the time to meet with a medical malpractice lawyer may greatly assist you if become the victim of any of the situations listed above. Information for this article was provided by professional Louisiana personal injury lawyers who specialize in medical malpractice cases.