If injured following medical treatment or a medical procedure, you may wonder whether you are a victim of medical malpractice. Medical malpractice occurs when a doctor or other medical professional fails to meet the standard of care. The standard of care is a set of standards that all doctors and medical professionals are expected to follow when providing treatment to patients.
What is Medical Malpractice?
Medical malpractice occurs when a healthcare provider makes careless mistakes or provides negligent care that causes harm. Unfortunately, it’s not always simple to tell if you have experienced medical negligence – but experienced medical malpractice attorneys can assist in evaluating your care and determining if you are entitled to compensation for your injuries and damages.
If Your Doctor isn’t Thorough
When your doctor isn’t thorough, it can lead to a misdiagnosis or a delayed diagnosis – either of which can worsen a patient’s situation. For instance, a patient who has been diagnosed with cancer and told they have six months to live, only to find out later that the diagnosis was wrong. They may be able to seek compensation for their medical bills and emotional distress caused by the misdiagnosis.
Your Condition Doesn’t Improve
Another indication of medical malpractice is when you are getting worse, and your symptoms have not improved since being admitted to a hospital or other facility. It may mean that your doctors or nurses are not doing everything in their power to help you get better.
Lack of Informed Consent
Informed consent of the patient is one of the basic tenets of administering medicine and providing treatment. If your doctor starts your treatment without informing you of what the treatment will involve, this would be considered malpractice.
Common Surgical Errors
Surgeons are tasked with some of the most dangerous and life-threatening work in the world, operating on their patients. Unfortunately, not all surgeons perform their duties with the level of diligence that’s expected and required of them. A surgical error could prove fatal or could result in significant and irreversible injuries. If the error was the result of negligence, the Nashville medical malpractice attorneys of Leader Law can help.
Consider some of the most common surgical errors. These are cases that, if there is evidence of negligence on the part of the surgeon, will likely support a medical malpractice claim. They include the following:
- Unnecessary or inappropriate surgeries;
- Improper technique or performance of surgeries;
- Untreated or unrecognized infections; and
- Pre or postoperative mistakes, such as failure to address complications resulting from surgery.
These and other mistakes can result in the death of a patient, or a patient may need dangerous emergency treatments to reverse the mistake. Surgical errors can cause permanent problems such as paralysis, brain injury, and other serious and life-changing complications.
Errors Made in the Administration of Anesthesia
Anesthesia is typically used during many medical procedures. If the wrong type or amount of anesthesia is administered, it could result in serious injury or death.
For example, suppose a patient is given too much anesthesia during surgery; they could stop breathing and die as a result. Other problems that may occur during anesthesia include:
- Respiratory depression (slowing of breathing)
- Hypoxia (insufficient oxygen)
- Cardiac arrest (heart stops beating)
- Hypotension (low blood pressure).
What You Need to Prove Medical Negligence
In order to have a solid foundation for your case, consider the following:
- Evidence of physical injury. This can be shown by the presence of a significant injury resulting from negligence by a hospital, doctor, or other medical professional.
- Medical records. These will show what happened during any treatment, including evaluations and tests performed, results received, diagnoses made, and prescriptions given.
- Hospital records. These may be used as evidence in some cases. Records will show information on surgeries performed on the patient, and medical and nursing care provided while in the hospital.
- Healthcare policies and regulations. These are rules that govern how doctors, hospitals, and other medical professionals are supposed to operate. They can be helpful in showing the appropriate tests and treatment that need to be performed.
- Expert witness reports. This is someone, such as a medical professional, who will review and evaluate the care provided to a patient to determine if negligence has occurred. Experts can help in understanding the significance of evidence or what a hospital policy means for your case.
Call a Nashville Medical Malpractice Attorney
Medical malpractice is a complex and confusing area of law, making it hard to understand what you should do when you have been harmed by a doctor’s negligence. If you’re a victim of medical malpractice, seek legal advice promptly. There are strict time limits for bringing a claim, which varies for every case.
At Leader Law, our Nashville Medical Malpractice Lawyers have helped many people who were victims of medical malpractice receive compensation. Our experienced team will help guide you through the process of investigating your case.
Our mission is to obtain outstanding results for our clients, irrespective of the case. Whether it’s a truck or auto collision, liquor liability, medical malpractice, or personal injury, get in touch with us to get started.
