What Are the Most Common Reasons for Medical Malpractice?

Did you know medical malpractice is a legal cause of action that occurs when a hospital, doctor or other health care professional deviates from a recognized standard of care? Whether this happens through negligence or omission, if it results in injury to a patient there may be a serious problem. Successful claims must show that a standard of care was violated, that the injury was preventable, and that the injury resulted in significant damages. 

Let us share some common reasons for a medical malpractice claim:

• An unnecessary surgery
• Premature patient discharge
• Failure to order proper testing
• Misreading or ignoring laboratory results
• Improper medication or dosage
• Disregarding or not taking appropriate patient history in account

Other common reasons may include, but not be limited to, any of these six reasons:

1. Avoidable Childbirth Mistakes. This occurs when physicians and health care professionals commit negligent acts during a patient’s pregnancy or during childbirth. Failure to diagnose a medical condition in the mother, or birth defects in the fetus, for example, could result in a malpractice claim. Additionally, negligence during childbirth could include failure to anticipate birth complications such as a tangled umbilical cord, the incompetent use of medical tools, and a failure to order a C-section when appropriate.

2. Performing Surgery on the Wrong Body Part. Negligent surgery errors can include puncturing or damaging healthy organs during an invasive surgical procedure, or outright operating on the wrong body part.

3. Leaving Surgical Tools Inside a Patient. It seems unthinkable, but medical tools and supplies are sometimes left inside a patient’s body during surgery.

4. Anesthesia Errors. If an anesthesiologist administers an incorrect dosage during surgery, a patient can suffer severe health risks, including liver damage. This should almost always be avoidable. 

5. An Understaffed Health Care Facility. If you or a loved one suffered due to a lack of qualified medical staff, then the medical facility may have been negligent and a malpractice claim could be warranted.

6. A Prescribed Treatment Was Wrong. It makes no sense to operate on a headache. Similarly, if you endured an invasive surgery or intensive treatment unnecessarily, then you may have a common malpractice claim. 

If you or someone you know has been injured due to medical error, do not wait to contact an experienced medical malpractice attorney. You can reach our local team any time, day or night. Remember, there are time limits to file a malpractice claim, called “statutes of limitations.” Do not wait. Everyone deserves justice when they are wrongfully harmed.