When a doctor, nurse, or other healthcare professional fails to deliver the care they vowed to provide and the result is patient injury or death, that is classified as medical malpractice. In some situations, it’s easy to question whether what you experienced qualifies as malpractice. It’s true that medical negligence can sometimes be difficult to identify, but a Michigan medical malpractice lawyer is the best resource to help you figure out what has really happened to you or your family.
Typical Examples of Medical Malpractice
You may be willing to forgive a doctor who overlooked a health issue or unintentionally did something wrong. After all, people make mistakes. However, when it’s life or death that is at the end of that error, there is no room for innocence. Accountability needs to happen.
Here are some typical examples of medical malpractice – and a few might surprise you:
- Delayed diagnosis or misdiagnosis. If a form of cancer is left undetected and untreated, it could progress to a later stage, spread, and be beyond treatment when it is finally diagnosed. An overlooked traumatic brain injury could lead to personal and professional consequences, as well as health issues and lengthier recovery. Infections, heart disease, and blood clots go unnoticed too often. Incorrectly identifying what’s wrong with a patient could lead to inappropriate and harmful treatments for the patient.
- Emergency room errors. Acting too quickly or carelessly, mistreating a condition, or overlooking a problem are more possible in a chaotic and stressful emergency room. Having to make quick decisions can lead to the wrong decisions, to the detriment of the patient. Internal bleeding, stroke, heart attack, pulmonary embolism, and infections can all occur in emergency room errors.
- Incorrect treatment. An experimental or unfounded medical treatment that no other competent doctor would use can result in a medical malpractice claim. Also falling into this category is poorly administered or incomplete treatment, even if the prescribed treatment is appropriate.
- Surgical errors. Surgery is fraught with stress and potential problems. Serious work is done in an operative room, and a surgeon, nurse, or anesthesiologist could make a mistake. The wrong body part could be operated on, the surgery could cause another problem that was not preexisting, surgical equipment could be left inside the body, or the wrong amount of anesthesia could be administered. Poor postoperative care can also fall into the medical malpractice category if patients are not given the right medication, care, or instructions.
- Not warning patient of risk. Before a surgery or procedure takes place, doctors are duty-bound to warn patients of any known risks to their health. This is called informed consent. If a patient was subjected to a treatment anyway and had a negative outcome, if they would otherwise have chosen not to go through with the procedure after hearing the potential risks, the doctor may be liable for medical malpractice.
Do You Have a Medical Malpractice Case?
An experienced medical malpractice attorney knows how to prove what a doctor did wrong, and what they should have done to properly care for their patient. If you realize that you have been a victim of medical malpractice, or want to confirm whether you have a case, contact a Michigan medical malpractice lawyer learn more about the statute of limitations and whether it’s too late for you to file a lawsuit to get compensation for your struggles, medical bills, and the damage done to you or your family. Contact Thurswell Law for a free consultation. We do not charge any fees unless you collect. Call (248) 354-2222 today.
