5 Medical Errors that Lead to a Medical Malpractice Lawsuit

gavel laying on stethoscope

Health care providers and hospitals are expected to provide patients competent medical treatment that upholds the medical community’s standards.

When a doctor or medical facility’s failure to meet these standards results in a patient’s injury or death, the at-fault party can be held liable for medical malpractice .

If you or someone you love has been injured due to a medical error, you may be entitled to compensation. Contact Gordon & Partners’s medical malpractice lawyers in West Palm Beach to schedule a free, no obligation consultation. We have helped numerous patients and their loved ones hold negligent health care provider’s liable for medical errors, including:

1. Medication Errors

A medication error occurs when a health care provider administers or prescribes a patient the wrong type of medication or an incorrect dosage of medication.

There are several ways a health care provider may commit a medication error, such as:

  • Failing to ask the patient if he or she is currently prescribed medications or regularly takes any other over-the-counter drugs
  • Prescribing the wrong dosage or type of medication
  • Neglecting to explain the dangers associated with a drug or medication
  • Administering the patient with a drug he or she may be allergic to

2. Birth Injuries

A birth injury may occur when the baby or mother is injured or killed as a result of a health care provider’s negligence, such as:

  • Failing to anticipate the size of the child’s body or head
  • Inadequately responding to fetal distress
  • Neglecting to notice the umbilical cord is wrapped around the child’s body
  • Failing to perform an emergency C-section
  • Incorrectly using medical equipment to aid in the delivery process

Birth injuries may cause a child to suffer long-term or permanent injuries, such as:

  • Cerebral palsy
  • Hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy
  • Soft-tissue damage
  • Broken bones
  • bruises, cuts or lacerations
  • Brachial palsy
  • Erb’s palsy
  • Klumpke’s palsy
  • Shoulder dystocia
  • Persistent pulmonary hypertension
  • Infection
  • Paralysis

3. Misdiagnosis or Delayed Diagnosis

Misdiagnosis occurs when a health care provider diagnosis the patient with the wrong medical condition. This may result in unnecessary and dangerous treatment, and may worsen the patent’s actual condition.

Furthermore, a health care provider may fail to recognize the symptoms of a patient’s medical condition until a later date, resulting in a delayed diagnosis. This may prevent the patient from receiving timely treatment, causing the patietn’s condition to worsen or resulting in his or her death.

Health care providers are obligated to diagnose a patient’s condition to the best of his or her ability. Although a doctor might make an incorrect diagnosis, it does not mean he or she is liable for medical malpractice.

Instead, you will need to show that a competent doctor with similar medical training and knowledge of the patient’s symptoms would have been able to diagnose his or her condition.

4. Anesthesia Errors

Anesthesia errors may include complications that result in a patient’s injury or death while he or she is undergoing treatment by an anesthesiologist.

Patients who are administered anesthesia must be heavily monitored by anesthesiologists and health care providers to prevent serious medical errors, such as:

  • Neglecting to review the patient’s complete medical history
  • Failing to provide the patient pre-operative instructions, such as what he or she should eat or drink before the operation
  • Complications with the patient’s breathing tube
  • Using defective or outdated medical equipment to administer the patient with anesthesia
  • Administering the patient with a fatal dose of anesthesia
  • Failing to monitor the patient’s vital signs while he or she is under anesthesia

5. Surgical Errors

A surgical error occur when a patient suffers a serious injury during a surgery as a result of a health care provider’s negligence. This may happen when a surgeon fails to adequately prepare for a surgery or commits a serious error during the operation.

Some of the most common types of surgical errors include:

  • Operating on the wrong patient
  • Performing the wrong operation (wrong body part or area of the body)
  • Damaging organs during surgery, such as organ perforation
  • Post-operative medication errors
  • Failing to follow post-operative procedures
  • Neglecting to instruct the patient on post-operative care and recovery
  • Operating in an unsanitary medical environment
  • Failing to follow cleaning and sterilization procedures before the operation
  • Leaving a medical tool or equipment inside the patient

Contact Gordon & Partners for a Free Consultation

If you or someone you love has been injured as due to a health care provider’s negligence, you may be entitled to compensation for your medical bills, lost wages, and pain and suffering.

Contact Gordon & Partners’s West Palm Beach personal injury attorneys to schedule a free, no obligation consultation. We will evaluate your claim and help you determine which legal options may be available to pursue compensation. There are no upfront fees when working with our firm and we only require payment if we recover compensation for your case.

Call 1 (855) 722-2552 or complete our Free Case Evaluation form.

Gordon & Partners - For The Injured®

1-855-722-2552

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Palm Beach Gardens, FL 33410

Phone: 1-561-333-3333

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Plantation, Florida 33324

Phone: 1-754-333-3333

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Stuart, FL 34994

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Gordon & Partners - Boca Raton

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Boca Raton, FL 33487

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