Three Ways You May Be Entitled To Compensation For Medical Malpractice
When people think of malpractice, they often think of sensational mistakes made by surgeons in a hospital. The type of story that you hear about on television. However, most cases of malpractice are not sensational, but they can lead to long-term damage to your health, and you may be able to receive compensation for what happened to you. The following are three examples of malpractice that can result in a deterioration in your health.
You were given the wrong medication
This can happen in both an outpatient or hospital setting. You may be taking a current medication that is contraindicated with a new medication that you were prescribed. Sometimes a pharmacist will catch this or a computer will red flag the new medication. However, it is the doctor who is responsible. You may also be taking a new medication that is bad for a medical condition you have, or perhaps you are pregnant. This same situation can occur in a hospital setting. The wrong medications can be administered or given in the wrong dosages. These types of mistakes can be construed as negligent, so if you can demonstrate the harm you have experienced, you may be entitled to damages.
You were misdiagnosed
Misdiagnosis is common and happens on a regular basis. It is important to understand that misdiagnosis by itself does not equal malpractice. What makes it malpractice is when a doctor should have caught the problem using basic medical procedure. Certain symptoms may require blood tests, x-rays or an MRI. If the doctor is following standard medical procedure, the problem would have been found. But because this procedure was ignored, your condition got worse. By the time you were diagnosed correctly, you suffered damage to your body that should not have happened.
There was neglect in your care
This can happen in a hospital setting, but it is often found in a convalescent center for the elderly. Simple care for a person is not done on a regular basis. This can result in bed sores, dehydration or a nurse not informing a doctor of a significant change in the patient's condition. This type of malpractice is often overlooked because it involves nurses and other medical staff that are responsible for basic care. However, negligence by medical staff is common.
Keep in mind that not every mistake made by a doctor or other medical staff is malpractice. You will need to demonstrate that someone on the medical staff had a certain duty, but they were negligent in carrying it out. This resulted in damage to your health, and this negligence was the direct cause of your damage. Malpractice is complicated, so you should always consult with an attorney for help. Contact a firm, like Lee Eadon Isgett Popwell & Owens, for more help.
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