Even in today’s health-conscious world, doctors make mistakes, and they happen more often than you’d think. This has led to an increase in the number of medical malpractice claims.
Medical malpractice lawsuits are filed against physicians and other healthcare professionals when their care or treatment of a patient results in harm or injury.
But doctors aren’t the only ones responsible for negligent practices. Other parties may also be held accountable for mistakes made during treatment. That’s why it pays to know about the common forms of medical negligence and relevant medical malpractice law so you can take action before a situation gets out of hand.
In this article, we will explore what medical malpractice is in detail and five main types of medical malpractice cases so you can spot the red flags and reach out to an experienced medical malpractice attorney.
What Is Medical Malpractice
Medical malpractice is a term that covers a variety of situations in which a medical professional acts negligently or intentionally concerning the care of an individual.
Breach of trust, lack of knowledge, failure to follow through on actions, and more are all potential reasons for someone to commit medical errors.
For example, anesthesiologists are trained to recognize key features of their patients when it comes to anesthesia—for example, the sex and age of the patient and any medications being taken. However, these things might not always be obvious at first glance for everyone else, and it wouldn’t be out of the realm of possibility for two people with similar characteristics to receive anesthesia from different doctors under similar circumstances.
With this in mind, how should we respond? Do we have cause to believe that the doctor was negligent? Or do we have ample evidence that they know who they are operating on and what risks they take by operating on them?
To make the picture a bit clearer, here are five common types of medical malpractice:
1. Misdiagnosis of a Serious Condition
When a doctor fails to diagnose a serious condition, patients can suffer serious harm as a result.
This type of medical malpractice occurs when a patient is diagnosed with a condition that is not actually present. Some examples include diagnosing a person with diabetes when they do not have the disease or misdiagnosing a person’s high cholesterol as low blood pressure.
In some cases, this may be because the doctor is unaware of the condition or because the patient is not the correct age to be afflicted with the condition.
The patient’s condition can also be misdiagnosed due to the doctor’s failure to examine the patient properly. For example, a patient with a urinary tract infection will have a different condition than a person with high cholesterol.
2. Failure to Diagnose a Condition
Doctors are responsible for diagnosing and properly identifying all patients, as well as identifying any potential complications that may arise from their treatment. However, they are also limited to the limits of their knowledge and may fail to identify a serious condition present in a patient.
This may be because the doctor didn’t pay enough attention to their patient. Or, they may have failed to ask the right questions to find out whether the patient has a condition that needs to be treated.
A doctor who fails to diagnose a condition correctly may be negligent and therefore subjected to a medical malpractice claim.
3. Supplying the Wrong Medicine or Medication
Supplying the wrong medicine or medication at the wrong dosage is another common type of medical malpractice lawsuit.
This type of malpractice can often occur when a patient is given the wrong medication because the physician misreads a prescription or the patient is not properly informed about their condition and what treatment they should be receiving.
The medication may also not be sufficiently effective or have side effects that outweigh its benefits. In other cases, medication may interact with other drugs or conditions, resulting in tragic consequences for the patient, such as harsh side effects and other severe complications.
4. Improper Sterilization of Equipment and Tools
When a doctor uses a scalpel, needle, or other medical instrument, they must ensure it has been properly sterilized. This means it has been cleaned of germs and other contaminants, and then it has been put into a special rack or cabinet to prevent it from being reused.
Improper sterilization of equipment and tools can result in the contamination of blood or other biological materials.
Medical professionals must follow proper sterilization procedures to prevent this type of medical malpractice lawsuit.
5. Negligent Supervision of Staff
A hospital or other healthcare facility’s being negligent when supervising the staff also counts as medical malpractice.
Things like underpaying or overworking staff may lead to careless mistakes or substandard medical treatment for patients. For example, a doctor’s staff may not wash their hands properly before handling a patient. They could then contract an infection during a surgical incision.
Another example of negligent supervision is if a doctor does not ensure their staff follows rigorous protocols to protect patients. For example, if a surgeon does not check a patient’s blood pressure or heart rate before each operation, they could be negligent.
Contact J.P. Ward & Associates for Top Medical Malpractice Counsel in Pittsburgh
If you’ve been the victim of a medical error, it’s likely you feel shaken and confused. However, with help from Pittsburgh medical malpractice attorneys, you can control the situation and improve things for yourself.
Even if your doctor was not intentionally negligent, medical malpractice is still a serious matter that leaves victims in terrible situations. As such, when it comes to medical malpractice, Pittsburgh residents can count on J.P. Ward & Associates to help them navigate the process of filing a medical malpractice case and pursuing a potential settlement.
Call us today at (412) 426-4878 to speak to a Pittsburgh medical malpractice lawyer today.