The act of negligence committed by medical professionals, resulting in substantial harm to the patient is termed as medical malpractice. For example, a person visits a pathologist and asks him to conduct a biopsy for detecting signs of skin cancer. However, the medical practitioner fails to recognize the signs which should have been detected by another physician. Thus, there needs to be clear cut evidence suggesting that substantial harm or injury has occurred and a similar mistake would not have been committed by fellow medical professionals. Instances of such carelessness might crop up at absolutely any point of time, be it diagnosis or illness management. However, a criminal case can be filed against any specific doctor or the entire medical institution if the treatment undertaken is found to have deviated substantially from the generally accepted standards. Given below is a list of scenarios which can crop up leading to a medical malpractice:
- Misdiagnosis
Committing a mistake, while diagnosing the disease is one of the most popular forms of physician errors. This is generally associated with the treatment of masses or tumours inside the body, blood clot in lung, infections, and heart disease. Misdiagnosis often leads to life-threatening consequences as the physician had already wasted valuable time trying to cure the wrong condition.
- Errors In Prescribing And Administering Medication
Administering wrong medicine or the wrong dosage of medicine might lead to grave consequences as the patient’s body triggers a range of side effects.
- Surgical Errors
Leaving a foreign body inside the patient post-surgery, failure to control bleeding and nerve damage are some of the most popular forms of surgical errors. The surgeon might also make a crucial mistake while performing the operation severing the wrong or unaffected part of the patient’s body. Spine and gastrointestinal tract are two such areas which are most vulnerable to surgical errors. Excess administration of anaesthesia before surgery is also categorized to be a type of medical malpractice. This can be a result of surgeon error or can happen when faulty medical devices are used. One such example is the hernia mesh lawsuit. Check Drugwatcher.org for more on the Mesh lawsuit, you can find sites for other class action surgical errors too with a quick search of Google
- Pregnancy And Childbirth Negligence
The doctors need to be on their toes while delivering a baby as even the minutest of mistakes can lead to comprehensive damage. Medical problems arising out of the following while labor can be categorized as medical malpractice:
- Excessive vaginal bleeding
- Premature babies
- Preeclampsia
- Placenta Previa or placental abruption leading to further complications
- Surgical negligence while performing the caesarean section delivery
- Nerve injury of the baby while the labor
- The excessive labor period causing injury to both the mother and her baby
- Negligence while administering anaesthesia
- Medical Consent
Healthcare professionals are often seen seeking out informed consent of the patient or his family before starting with a particular medicine or treatment. The medical authority is hereby expected to disclose all the relevant information concerning the risks involved in the proposed procedure. The health care provider can be sued for medical negligence if he fails to seek out a medical consent from the patient party in time.
The biggest duty of a medical professional is to care for the patient. If they fail to do so causing significant loss or injury to the patient, then the latter might claim for compensation. Apart from doctors, medical malpractice is also applicable on osteopaths, nurses, and health care facilities. If you ever find yourself victimized by medical malpractice, then you can click here and contact an expert that can help you.