Some of the most serious injuries that people sustain are often treated at the nearest hospital. And hospitals treat a wide variety of patients with varying degrees of injury or sickness that can require a multitude of treatments – from emergency surgery to long-term care. Unfortunately, with any hospitalization comes the potential for medical malpractice from healthcare provider negligence.
So what exactly is medical malpractice?
Legally, medical malpractice is defines as any act or omission by a physician during treatment of a patient that deviates from accepted norms of practice, which results in injury to the patient. To break it down even further, it’s essentially when a doctor or healthcare provider acts in a careless way towards a patient, which violates the standard of care expected of them as a healthcare professional.
Hospital Malpractice
Proper treatment comes from more than just a good doctor. It is derived from an entire network of care providers working together – from doctors and surgeons to nurses, assistants, physical therapists, pharmacists and general staff. While a vast majority of the time, this team performs its care to best of its professional ability, negligence can also occur at any point and by anyone treating a patient.
Medication Errors
Providing the wrong kind of medicine to a patient can have dire consequences. Medications are developed to be administered in the right dosage and to treat specific issues. Even the wrong dosage of the right medicine can have catastrophic effects.
Surgical Malpractice
One of the inherent risks of surgery is infection. Most surgeons and staff take the utmost precaution to prevent infection by operating in a clean and sanitized environment. However, there are still cases that arise where healthcare providers are neglectful in performing surgery with un-sanitized equipment or execute an improper surgical procedure.
Furthermore, there is always the chance for surgical error to occur. While surgeons receive some of the most rigorous professional training and education available, they’re still human and make mistakes. Thousands of surgical errors occur every year and at some of the most highly rated hospitals. We’ve seen cases ranging from surgery performed on the wrong part of the body to the incorrect surgery being implemented and even surgery on the wrong patient. While the above do occur, the most common surgical errors include foreign objects being left inside the body, anesthesia miscalculations, punctured organs and nerve damage.
Misdiagnosis
In many circumstances, doctors fail to identify a dangerous health condition or mistake one condition for something completely unrelated. This can seriously impact treatment or leave certain conditions completely untouched, which can lead to server patient complications and even death.
Filing a Lawsuit for Medical Malpractice
If a doctor or anyone on staff at a hospital were responsible for an avoidable injury because of negligence, then legal action can be taken on your behalf against the hospital for medical malpractice. Because hospitals sometimes employ independent contractors, the question of liability can be confusing. That’s why you should consider hiring our experienced attorneys at Weinstein & Cohen. We can help you determine medical malpractice fault while achieving fair and just compensation for your injuries, lost wages, additional medical care, suffering and other damages.
An experienced personal injury attorney will put your priorities first. If you or someone you care about has been injured or involved in medical malpractice across South Florida and Southwest Florida, contact the medical malpractice lawyers and personal injury attorneys at Weinstein & Cohen at 239-793-3331 or 305-374-1011, or visit fairnessforall, for an absolutely free and confidential legal consultation to learn more about your options.
