When we’re sick and in need of medical attention or advice, we expect nothing but the best from our medical teams. Thorough examinations and assessments, the prescription of the correct medications and treatments as well as excellent aftercare after surgery or a big life event such as giving birth. We also expect to feel listened to and put at ease throughout the whole process. So, when something goes wrong and our expectations aren’t met, or we’re left in a potentially worse medical state then we were previously, that’s when things can get complicated.
The world of medical malpractice is inherently complicated and for victims of malpractice, incredibly daunting. It’s easy to feel overwhelmed by all the different kinds of medical malpractice cases; for example, victims of complications relating to mesh patch hernia repair may worry that their case isn’t as important as someone who has lost a child or had life changing injuries due to negligence – for information on hernia mesh recall, click the link – but it’s for this reason that you should get in touch with your lawyer as soon as possible if you think you have a case.
In the meantime, read on for a straightforward guide to the different types of medical malpractice.
Surgical errors
As if going in for surgery wasn’t stressful enough, if something goes wrong during your surgery not only will this completely derail your road your recovery, but you may now have additional injuries and problems to deal with. The following surgical errors are common in medical malpractice lawsuits:
- The use of dirty/unsterile equipment and tools
- Leaving medical tools or foreign objects inside the patient
- Operating on the wrong body part
- Performing the wrong procedure
- Failure to provide effective aftercare
- Damage caused to tissue, muscle, nerves and other body parts
Mistakes during childbirth
Much like surgery, when you go into labour, your expect your medical team to put you at ease and make the process as safe and as comfortable as possible. But when things go wrong it can have life changing consequences for everyone involved. Some of the more common birth injuries in medical malpractice cases include:
- Negligence resulting in the death of the mother or child
- Cerebral Palsy cases
- Erb’s Palsy cases
- Brain damage caused by an undetected infection during pregnancy
- Failing to elect a C-section in time
- Poor post/prenatal care
Anaesthesia error
The idea of being put to sleep is already worrying enough. However, when errors are made by your anaesthesia team it can have catastrophic results. The most common injury with an anaesthesia error is liver damage, often caused by too much anaesthesia and the patients current health, medical conditions and any current medications they’re on not being taken into account.
Misdiagnosis
If you’ve gone to your doctor for reassurance and for confirmation of a medical issue then you expect them to get it right. However, it’s not always the case. Misdiagnosis occurs when your doctor doesn’t pick on any illness or problem at all or they diagnose a patient with an illness that they don’t have. If you have, in anyway been prevented from having the treatment you need then you may have a misdiagnosis claim.
