Medicine is one of, if not, the most trusted professions in the world. The individuals in this field help nurse the sick back to health, no matter how bad their condition was. Modern technological advancements have made it possible to treat just about any condition.

But you have to remember that the individuals working in medicine are humans as well, and humans are prone to making mistakes. When medical professionals commit mistakes, the consequences can be pretty serious.

This is the basis of medical malpractice claims. Personal injury law has separate statutes to punish negligent medical staff. But just like in other cases, you will need the assistance of experienced medical malpractice attorneys from reputable firms like Crandall & Pera Law. These legal professionals know all the laws and challenges involved in medical malpractice claims and will do their very best to ensure fair compensation.

What is Medical Malpractice?

All medical professionals have a standard of care that they’re expected to meet. A failure to meet this standard of care often leads to numerous losses. These losses can be either physical, emotional, or financial.

There are numerous actions that lead to a medical malpractice case. We have chosen five of the more common ones and have written about them in detail.

Misdiagnosis

This type of medical malpractice, along with delayed diagnosis, accounts for a major chunk of medical malpractice cases.

Misdiagnosis is when a doctor or medical professional incorrectly diagnoses a person’s condition. This leads to the victim receiving treatment for a condition they don’t have. There are also chances that the actual medical condition of the person may worsen.

Delayed diagnosis, on the other hand, is accurately diagnosing the condition but after an unnecessary delay. The delay involved may worsen the condition, leading to serious consequences.

Errors in Medications

Medication errors are pretty serious. It is the duty of the medical professional to take the patient’s health condition into consideration before prescribing medicines. They also have the responsibility to warn the patient of potential side effects.

A failure in prescribing the right medicines or not warning about side effects is categorized under errors under medication.

On top of that, administering too little or too much of a medicine will result in medication errors as well.

The parties who can be held liable for medication errors include:

• Doctors
• Nurses who administer the wrong amount
• An equipment manufacturer whose device malfunctioned during medicine administration

Surgical Mistakes

Even operating rooms aren’t safe from mistakes. Negligence during surgery can lead to disastrous results, and the patient may end up suffering for the rest of their life.

Some common forms of surgical mistakes include:

• Operating the wrong body part
• Damaging internal organs
• Leaving foreign objects inside the body
• Poor post-surgery care

Surgeons, as well as the staff who assist them, can be held liable for surgical mistakes.

Childbirth Injuries

Child delivery is a rather stressful process. The medical staff who’re responsible for assisting the expecting mom must follow all safety procedures and be extremely accurate in whatever they do.

Sadly, some medical staff don’t seem to take their job too seriously. In the end, it’s the newborn and their parents who suffer.

Childbirth injuries occur due to negligence during pregnancy. Some of the more common examples of medical malpractice during childbirth are:

• Failure to identify/misidentifying pregnancy complications
• Poor pre- or post-pregnancy care offered to the mother and the newborn
• Improper use of birth-related equipment (like forceps and a vacuum extractor)
• Not responding to signs of fetal distress

The negligence exhibited by medical staff during childbirth leads to a range of medical conditions. Some of them are listed below.

• Cerebral Palsy
• Fractured bones
• Klumpke’s Palsy
• Seizures

Anesthesia Errors

Anesthesia is an important part of a surgery. They help the patient stay calm during surgery. Anesthesia is usually regional, local, and general.

Mistakes during anesthesia can prove costly. There are multiple instances where anesthesia-related injuries occur. Some of them are listed below.

• Not analyzing the victim’s medical history before administering anesthesia
• Supervising the patient’s vital signs
• Use of defective equipment
• Giving too much or too little anesthesia

Conclusion

Victims of medical malpractice will be put through numerous difficulties. They should fight for their rights with the help of a medical malpractice attorney. With their assistance, they can get fair compensation for their suffering.