When we enter a doctor’s office, we are putting our entire body in their hands. We are trusting them to take the best possible measures to treat us and care for us. Doctors are widely known for being incredibly intelligent and reliable, and most are.
But you can come across a rare time where you come out in significantly more harm than before. This could be an example of medical malpractice.
1. Mistakes During Childbirth
One of the saddest and possibly most devastating examples of medical malpractice is a mistake during childbirth. After nine long months of preparing for the new addition to the family, it is still possible your doctor makes a snafu that can result in lifelong effects for the baby.
The doctor might delay the needed Caesarian section, and the baby endures brain damage as a result. Other common medical malpractices and delivery complications include the misuse of forceps, surgical errors during a C-section, oxygen deprivation of the baby, placental abnormalities, or nerve damage during birth.
2. Anesthesia Errors
The anesthesiologist is responsible for authorizing and executing the correct dosage of anesthesia for the patient who is experiencing surgery. Unfortunately, this is one of the most common causes of medical malpractice, and the patient can suffer serious liver damage.
When the improper amount is given, the blame can be entirely credited to the anesthesiologist. A lot of malpractice is ambivalent and can be difficult to argue without proper help. But this negligence has a clear root of why it happened.
3. Misdiagnosis
Misdiagnosis can refer to a failure of diagnosis, which leads to ineffective treatment or no treatment whatsoever. It’s more common than surgical or drug error malpractices. Your doctor might diagnose you with one condition when you’re dealing with another one.
A misdiagnosis can cover many things, and some conditions that are often misidentified include Lyme disease, stroke, cancer, heart attack, celiac disease, and thyroid conditions.
4. Medication Errors
Most people, if not all, are on or have been on some variety of medication. You go to the doctor, counting that whatever meds they prescribe you (and how much they tell you to take) are correct.
The doctor may make the mistake of failing to consider the patient’s medical history, age, or allergies. But this has some gray areas of other factors like poor communication or lacking knowledge of the real risks of the medication prescribed. There might be a solid case for malpractice lawyers in Scranton, PA, if harm is caused.
5. Surgical Errors
Surgery is a critical time where all of the intricate and proper steps are incredibly vital to the patient’s wellbeing. It is frightening to think failure to control bleeding, inability to perform the correct procedure, using nonsterile instruments, or damage to nerves or tissues is possible.
Conclusion
It is a rarity that a doctor does not do what is best for their patient, but it is unfortunately possible. If one of these examples applies to you, it might be necessary for legal action.
