Types of Medical Malpractice
The concept of medical malpractice negligence is very broad and encompasses virtually every kind of mistake that could be made by a medical professional. The most common cases brought against doctors are:
- Improper diagnosis
- Failure to diagnose
- Medication errors
- Surgical errors such as a slip of the knife severing a nerve during an operation
- Medical instruments, sponges, needles or other foreign objects dropped inside a patient and left there after surgery
- Errors in prenatal diagnostic testing
- Failure to advise of diagnosis
- Lack of informed consent
- Abandonment (failure to attend to a patient)
- Improperly prescribing a drug
- Failing to inform the patient of available treatments
- Continuing a treatment that has been shown to be ineffective
- Below standard treatment or incorrectly performed treatment
A doctor has a duty to you to use care and diligence to diagnose your illness so that the proper treatment can be recommended. In order to properly diagnose a condition, a doctor should ask about a patient’s medical history as well as his or her family’s medical history. The doctor also should ask for a detailed description of current symptoms and should perform a thorough examination, which includes necessary diagnostic tests.
Example: After hurting your wrist you go to your family doctor, but he concludes it is just a sprain and doesn’t request an X-ray, which would have revealed a fracture. The fracture goes undetected and, as a result, a permanent and debilitating injury to your wrist results. The doctor may be negligent for failing to order an X-ray, or possibly for not referring you to an orthopedist.
Doctors also have a duty to disclose information pertaining to the treatment you will receive. If your condition is such that it is beyond the scope of practice of the examining doctor, or beyond the doctor’s expertise, he or she must refer you to a specialist. If your doctor fails to follow these basic principles, and injury is caused as a result, you may have a case for a malpractice claim. Medical malpractice can occur at any point in the course of diagnosis and treatment. For example, the wrong chart could be placed at your hospital bedside, resulting in you being given medication to which you are allergic, thereby causing serious harm or even death.
Call: 1-800-365-0001
The Conclusion
The attorneys at the Eshelman Legal Group understand that no matter how cautious you are, others may not be so careful, and accidents do happen. So we hope you don’t need to, but if you are in a situation where you need the advice of an personal injury attorney, the Eshelman Legal Group is here to help you. For over 40 years we have been assisting accident victims, and we are here to assist you too... because “We’ll make things right.”
Ask yourself this question… who does the adjuster work for? The adjuster works for the insurance company, they do not work for you.
In all matters involving personal injury it is essential that measures be taken promptly to preserve evidence, investigate the accident in question, and file a lawsuit prior to the deadline imposed by the Statute of Limitations. If you or a loved one is a victim of personal injuries, call Eshelman Legal Group LLC, now at 1-800-365-0001. The initial consultation is free of charge, and if we agree to accept your case, we will work on a Contingent Fee basis, which means we get paid for our services only if there is a monetary award or recovery of funds. Don’t delay! You may have a valid claim and be entitled to compensation for your injuries, but a lawsuit must be filed before the statute of limitations expires. The above is not legal advice. That can only come from a qualified attorney who is familiar with all the facts and circumstances of a particular, specific case and the relevant law. See Terms of Use.
