When you go to hospital or to see your doctor, you would hope that you’d get treated well and that your condition would get better, not worse. Unfortunately, if you have a negligent doctor, you may find that this is not the case.
You would hope that medical malpractice is rare, however, medical errors are the third-leading cause of death in the United States.
But what is medical malpractice and what are the signs that you have potentially suffered from medical malpractice?
In this article, we’ll examine medical malpractice cases so that you know whether you’ve got one.
-
Misdiagnosis or Late Diagnosis
If you want to avoid an illness or ailment from getting worse, you’ll need treatment as quickly as possible. Having a health screening is how doctors can identify issues early and get to work treating them.
Whenever you visit your doctor with an issue, you would expect them to tell you exactly what is wrong with you and to put a treatment plan in place.
However, if your doctor fails to see the signs of a serious health problem or misdiagnoses it, this could be medical malpractice.
Being misdiagnosed could result in a worsened condition that will result in pain, discomfort, the need for further procedures, or even death.
Misdiagnosis or a delay in diagnosis could be the result of misjudgment or error on the part of the doctor, or it could come from not taking into account all of the symptoms or your medical history.
If a doctor misdiagnosed you or diagnosed too late, a medical malpractice lawyer will be able to help you.
-
Incorrect Testing
An essential element of making the right diagnosis to ensure the correct treatment is given is to properly test a patient. This could include blood tests or imaging tests.
In medical malpractice, improper testing may include:
- The wrong test being given
- A common test for the symptoms is not ordered
- Follow-up tests are not ordered based on the initial results
- Samples are mixed up, lost, or contaminated
By ensuring that a patient has the right test, at the right time will ensure that the most accurate test results will be had. A medical malpractice attorney will be able to help you if this is not the case.
-
Incorrect Medication
There are lots of problems that could arise from doctors prescribing the wrong medication. Before giving you a prescription for medication, your doctor should learn as much about your pre-existing condition as possible.
Prescribing the wrong medication could result in the following:
- Patients taking more medication than needed
- Taking the wrong dose
- Experiencing bad side effects
- Allergic reactions
Having the wrong medication or dosage could result in the patient not healing properly, and in some cases, it could also lead to death.
The Signs You’ve Suffered From Medical Malpractice
Medical malpractice is more common than you might expect. Doctors pay a lot in medical malpractice insurance for this very reason. If you have been misdiagnosed, tested incorrectly, or have been given the wrong medication, then you may have a case for a medical malpractice lawyer.
For more helpful articles, check out the rest of the site.
