Medical malpractice happens when a doctor does not uphold the expected standard of care. This doesn’t mean that they have to be perfect or that every outcome a patient has must be positive. But a patient should be able to expect reasonable treatment under current medical standards. When a doctor fails to meet that standard, they could be guilty of malpractice.
This can happen in many different ways. Let’s look at three examples below.
A misdiagnosis
In some cases, doctors will make the wrong diagnosis and it can have a detrimental impact on the patient. For example, doctors often misdiagnose heart attacks in women, who then pass away because they don’t get the treatment that they need. Some are even sent home and told they are just suffering from stress or indigestion.
Surgical mistakes
There are a variety of different surgical mistakes that could constitute malpractice. One example is wrong-site surgery, where the surgeon operates on the wrong part of the body or the wrong patient. Another example is when medical items, such as sponges or needles, are left inside the patient after the surgery.
Medication errors
Finally, malpractice sometimes occurs when doctors give patients medications that have a negative impact on their health. An example of this could be mixing up files and switching medications between two patients. This means that they both fail to get the medicine they need, and the drug they do take could have a dangerous interaction with other medications.
Again, these are just three examples, and there are many more ways that malpractice can take place. If you have been harmed due to a doctor’s negligent mistake, be sure you know exactly what legal options you have moving forward.
