The healthcare sector is one of the significant industries for any country as citizens’ health primarily depends on it. Patients trust healthcare workers with their health conditions and, mostly, do not question their treatment plans. Similarly, doctors and nurses enjoy immense respect from people from all walks of life. People consider them superheroes who help sick people recover from illnesses. They presume that healthcare workers provide patients with the best medical services and use their academic knowledge and experience to assist patients in healing. Healthcare workers are expected to give patients professional and competent treatment according to patients’ conditions and medical standards. However, medical negligence occurs when healthcare workers act or fail to act as per medical standards resulting in the deteriorating state of patients.
A general misconception is that medical malpractice and medical negligence are the same. Medical negligence may occur due to mishandling of equipment or might be an error in diagnosis. However, medical malpractice involves licensed professionals omitting or neglecting to provide medical treatments. In some cases of medical negligence, patients can take their doctors to court and file for compensation. Healthcare workers and hospitals are legally responsible for providing standardized care, and deviation from quality care can lead to lawsuits. Some cases of medical negligence that can result in lawsuits are as follows:
1. Incorrect Surgical Procedure
In some cases, when surgeons operate on patients for surgery, they find out several other problems which were not visible in the scans. Or, at times, some issues arise during the surgery. These medical problems make the planned procedure unfit to perform for them. Therefore, during the surgery, surgeons must decide which surgical procedures are suitable to perform. However, they often operate on the central issue first and leave the emerging ones aside or perform an incorrect surgical procedure because of pure negligence. Such negligence not only leads to patients’ deteriorating conditions but, in some cases, causes them additional injuries. For such incidents, patients can contact a top rated law firm and file petitions against such surgeons for compensation.
2. Birth Injuries
Generally, cases of healthcare workers’ negligence occur while delivering infants. Delivering a baby is a critical process, and doctors need to show utmost vigilance while handling delivery. Failure to control blood loss, run different tests on babies, or monitor children’s oxygen levels can result in loss of life. Sometimes a child or mother passes away all because of the carelessness of medical workers. In some cases, due to mishandling or wrong medication, the child or mother gets lifelong medical issues. Birth injuries may cause children to suffer from cerebral palsy, shoulder dystocia, paralysis, and several other health problems. If patients realize that their suffering is healthcare workers’ negligence, they can file for compensation.
3. Anesthesia Errors
Errors in administering anesthesia can be hazardous. If the anesthesia is not strong enough and patients wake up during surgical procedures, they will be traumatized. Besides, they may show some involuntary movements, which can lead to surgical complications. Sometimes anesthesia errors can be fatal, and, in such cases, patients’ families can take the healthcare facility center to court. Patients who are administered anesthesia need constant monitoring to avert medical error. Failure in doing so can be life-threatening. Anesthesia errors include complications with patients’ breathing tubes, outdated medical equipment, or negligence in keeping an eye on patients under anesthesia.
4. Accidental Punctures
Doctors often need to tear and open patients’ bodies for medical procedures. While doing so, they need to be diligent as even a slight incorrect movement or gesture can lead to disastrous consequences. Some accidental punctures or lacerations can result in a substantial amount of blood loss. They can become a cause of severe complications. Suppose patients feel that healthcare workers have shown carelessness and their conditions are worsening. In that case, they can file a lawsuit against the involved medical workers.
5. Misdiagnosis
Misdiagnosis often leads to the prescription of wrong medication and can become a reason for patients’ worsening health. It occurs when doctors misread the test results or issue preliminary diagnoses without solid confirmation. Misdiagnosis can be extremely dangerous. It may result in unnecessary harrowing and prolonged treatments, which may deteriorate patients’ actual condition. Sometimes healthcare workers do not notice patients’ symptoms until it is too late. Delayed diagnosis often requires extended and harsher treatments. Misdiagnosis or delayed diagnosis is not medical malpractice. Still, if a patient’s condition aggravates because of this, he can hold relevant doctors accountable.
6. Premature Discharge
After harsh surgical procedures, patients often require 24/7 monitoring and quality care for several days. Sometimes when a patient’s condition seems to improve in the initial days, healthcare workers discharge them, declaring that they are fit to go. Unless healthcare workers are 100% certain about the patient’s condition and have taken care of all required protocols, they should not discharge them. Premature discharge can lead to long-lasting complications, and sometimes, patients suffer from further medical issues.
7. Foreign Objects Left in Patients
It may sound weird and unrealistic, but doctors leaving objects in patients have been reported and are a common occurrence. A foreign item, such as a towel, sponge, a pair of scissors, or tweezers, left in a human’s body can cause a severe infection. In some unfortunate cases, it can lead to a patient’s demise. Failure to remove such objects from a human’s body is medical negligence. Consequently, patients can build up strong cases against such healthcare workers and the facility.
Conclusion
Patients consult healthcare workers in their vulnerable conditions and expect to receive appropriate medical care. Delays, misdiagnoses, or negligence can cause patients harm or injuries, making them eligible to seek legal assistance. Medical negligence cases involve complex issues of medical and law. Thus, patients must consult medical malpractice lawyers as they have experience in the field and guide them to seek justice.
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Hey guys it’s Andrew! I am a writer, a blogger, and a curious human being full of ideas. I remember as a teenager going to my local store to grab a freshly published magazine about the ins and outs of the online business world.
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