Reasons for Medical Malpractice Lawsuits

Doctors, nurses, and other healthcare providers undergo rigorous training in order to provide the best medical care to patients. However, some medical practitioners choose not to perform up to the highest standards of their profession and may put the life of their patients at risk. This is why it is not unusual to hear about cases of medical malpractice.

What Is Medical Malpractice?

Medical malpractice occurs when hospitals, doctors, pharmacists, nurses or other healthcare personnel make decisions that lead to the injury or death of patients by providing medical care below the acceptable standards. In most cases, such malpractice happens due to negligence on the part of the healthcare professional, though sometimes it is the practices of the hospital which are at fault. Such negligence could lead to serious injuries or even death.

Medical malpractice can take several forms, including misdiagnosis, late diagnosis, wrongful dosing (under- or over-dosing or wrong medication), wrong site surgery and other surgery errors, childbirth injuries (prenatal, perinatal, and postnatal negligence), and anesthesia errors, among others. In addition, it can take the form of gross negligence, where the health care expert fails to provide standard care to their patients.

Reasons for Medical Malpractice Lawsuits

The above listed forms of malpractices in the medical field can lead to serious injuries and, in certain cases, death. Such a fatality is considered wrongful death, because it occurs as the direct result of a mistake, either of omission or commission, on the part of a healthcare professional.

For instance, prenatal malpractice may lead to birth defects, severe debilitation, or even death of the mother or child due to pre-eclampsia, gestational diabetes, Rh incompatibility, anemia due to excessive bleeding, and hypoglycemia. Other severe malpractices may lead to overdose with increased drug toxicity, leaving surgical instruments inside the body of the patient, or operating on the wrong part of the body.

Common malpractice claims in the United States may include birth trauma and injuries , cerebral palsy, failure to diagnose cancer, emergency room errors, failure to diagnose heart attack, failure to diagnose stroke in a timely fashion, failed surgical procedures, medical prescription errors, misdiagnosis, stomach bypass, and wrong site surgery among others.

Can You Get Help With Your Medical Malpractice Case?

If you believe you or someone you know has suffered from medical malpractice, then you have the right to seek legal help. The Abbot Law Group has an experienced team of lawyers and has been handling litigations and trials for more than 30 years.  Call the Abbott Law Group at (904) 292-1111 (or fill out the online form) to receive a free, confidential case evaluation. If your case meets the criteria for eligibility to file a lawsuit, the Abbott Law Group will fight to obtain the maximum compensation to which you may be legally entitled.