Medical malpractice is a dangerous problem both in Ohio and the United States at large According to the US Medical Malpractice Center, there are an estimated 15,000 to 19,000 medical malpractice lawsuits brought against doctors and other healthcare professionals annually. “Medical malpractice” is just a fancy name for the negligence of a medical professional.
Healthcare professionals are responsible for providing care for their patients within the standard of care. This means that a medical professional must treat patients the same way that a reasonable professional in the same situation would have. When this does not happen, a patient may have a cause of action for damages attributable to the negligent care.
Have you recently been the victim of medical malpractice because a doctor or healthcare professional has made a mistake that has damaged your life? If so, you should speak with an Ohio medical malpractice attorney. An attorney from The Henry Law Firm can help you initiate a malpractice claim if you believe you have been the victim of a medical error.
What Exactly Is Medical Malpractice?
Before filing a medical-malpractice lawsuit, you should have an understanding of what constitutes medical malpractice. Ultimately, medical malpractice occurs when a healthcare professional or provider fails to do any of the following, and it results in patient harm, injury, or death:
- Gives a substandard patient treatment.
- Omits to take appropriate action regarding a patient’s health.
- Neglects to provide a patient with appropriate treatment.
In most instances, medical malpractice involves a medical error ranging from health management, aftercare, and treatment to diagnosis, medication dosage, and misdiagnosis errors (more on below). Legally, according to Ohio law, it is within your rights to seek compensation for any harm you have been subjected to because of a medical error.
5 Examples of Medical Malpractice Errors That Lead To Claims
- Prescription Medicine Errors
Prescription errors can lead to malpractice claims and serious adverse effects on a patient’s health. For example, some prescription medication errors include an incorrect dosage and an incorrectly given medication. Additionally, a doctor or pharmacist could give a patient a medication he or she is allergic to or give them or the wrong medication entirely.
2. Misdiagnosis
One of the most common medical malpractice errors is misdiagnosis. This includes doctors failing to timely diagnose a condition.
Unfortunately, besides delayed treatment, a misdiagnosis can lead to a patient receiving the incorrect treatment for their condition or no treatment at all.
For example, a lung cancer patient could go to a doctor for a bad cough, and the doctor could not do his due diligence and state they have a cold without running any tests. Weeks go by, and the patient comes back with many other symptoms besides a cough, prompting the doctor to take a closer look, but by now, it’s too late, and the lung cancer has progressed. In this instance, the doctor misdiagnosed and gave the patient the wrong treatment.
If you believe you were misdiagnosed, you’ll need to prove the provider was negligent, which is easier said than done. Yet, this doesn’t mean there is no hope.
With the assistance of an Ohio medical malpractice attorney, you can acquire your medical records that detail what the treating doctor did and did not do. These records will go a long way to proving medical negligence.
3. Surgical Mistakes
Surgical mistakes in the operating room are significantly more common than you might realize. Every year thousands of medical malpractice claims arise because of surgical mistakes by incompetent surgeons.
Some surgical errors include nicking vital organs, taking out the wrong organs, operating on the wrong body part (left leg instead of right leg), or leaving surgical instruments in a patient’s body. In addition to this, nurses can be negligent too when it comes to administering the correct post-operative care.
4. Anesthesia Errors
Unfortunately, in many medical malpractice cases, anesthesia errors are more dangerous than surgical mistakes. Often even a minuscule anesthesiologist error can result in brain damage, permanent injury, or in severe cases, death.
Additionally, many anesthesiologists have committed medical malpractice before administering anesthesia by:
- Failing to tell patients the risks involved if they don’t follow preoperative advice.
- Failing to thoroughly investigate and evaluate a patient’s medical history to ensure no complications occur.
Moreover, numerous anesthesiologist errors can occur during a patient’s surgery, such as:
- Failing to monitor a patient’s vital organs continuously.
- Giving a patient too much or too little anesthesia.
- Using defective equipment.
- Improperly intubating a patient.
5. Childbirth Errors
Some of the worst medical errors are childbirth errors because they can affect the infant or mother during pregnancy and labor, while the mother delivers the child, or after the baby is born.
For example, while a mother is pregnant, she could receive medical advice that harms her and her unborn child. In this instance, it could be the healthcare professional’s fault if this advice caused harm. Some of the other prenatal birth errors include the following:
- A doctor fails to diagnose a mother’s contagious diseases that could be passed onto her unborn children, like HIV and herpes.
- A doctor failed to diagnose or misdiagnose pregnancy-related medical conditions.
- A doctor did not tell the mother that her unborn child had birth defects.
Additionally, some of the injuries during labor and delivery could be the fault of a patient’s doctor due to negligence if:
- The doctor failed to anticipate possible birthing complications because of the baby’s expected size.
- The doctor didn’t notice the umbilical cord was wrapped around the baby, and the baby died or suffered life-altering injuries.
- The doctor failed to respond to fetal distress signs like reduced movements.
Speak With An Ohio Personal Injury Attorney Today To Discuss Your Medical Malpractice Case
Malpractice errors can range from minor to severe, but your rights matter, regardless of your injury. Should you feel you have been the victim of medical malpractice, you should consider speaking with a qualified Ohio medical malpractice attorney today.
At The Henry Law Firm, we want you to have every tool you need to achieve a successful outcome, so we will work with you to ensure you have the best chance at success while you focus on recovery. Contact our Ohio Law firm today to arrange an obligation-free consultation, and let us help you.