Category: Medical Malpractice

Since they are medical professionals, we place our faith in physicians to provide us with the best healthcare. While doctors are expected to be compassionate, empathetic, and reliable, the reality is that medical mistakes can happen in any setting. Each year, numerous patients suffer injuries stemming from negligence in hospital care. When healthcare practitioners are negligent in delivering appropriate treatment, care, or diagnoses, it can result in injuries or complications for the patient.

Occasionally, patients experience harm due to mistakes made by doctors. Due to the nature of the error or the context in which it occurred, patients might remain oblivious to these errors. However, by proactively observing for signs, one can recognize if they have fallen victim to medical malpractice.

 In this article, we will delve into the top five signs of medical malpractice, providing insights on how to recognize them.

Absence of Informed Consent

Healthcare practitioners seek approval from patients before administering treatments or performing surgeries. Your medical provider is responsible for informing you about the advantages and potential drawbacks of your proposed treatment plan. This stage is vital in allowing you to make an educated choice regarding your available treatment avenues.

The absence of proper informed consent can be considered a case of medical malpractice, potentially causing significant financial damages to the patient. In certain situations, it could even lead to legal charges against the healthcare professional accountable.

Delayed Diagnosis

Swift identification and timely intervention play pivotal roles in achieving a positive recovery outcome. The chance to effectively address a health condition might diminish if a doctor fails to arrive at an accurate diagnosis promptly. Alternatively, a delayed diagnosis can lead to medical complications in cases like melanoma skin cancer.

Medical malpractice arises from a delayed diagnosis when the ailment could have been effectively treated had it been identified earlier. If a patient has specific undetected health issues or if a doctor delays the process of obtaining a diagnosis, this is categorized as medical malpractice.

If you suspect that your doctor’s diagnosis arrived too late, it might be best to reach out to an experienced medical malpractice lawyer such as Baltimore Medical Malpractice Attorney.

Unusual Bruising or Bleeding After Surgery

When a patient undergoes a surgical procedure, they believe the surgeon’s skills to perform it safely and correctly. Although certain surgical errors might not cause significant harm, others can result in life-threatening complications or even wrongful death.

Some of the most common surgical errors are:

• Operating on a body part different from the intended part.
• Displaying inadequate hygiene practices leads to complications.
• Leaving foreign objects or instruments inside the body.
• Misidentifying tissue during the surgical process.
• Improper treatment of infections.

Not Getting the Expected Treatment Outcomes

When undergoing medical treatment, we expect our health condition to improve. However, this scenario doesn’t always happen. Rather than witnessing an improvement, your condition might persist or even worsen. This may indicate the physician’s failure to meet the expected level of care for your illness or that you have been treated inappropriately.

If you have experienced any of the following symptoms, there’s a possibility that you possess a basis for medical malpractice claims:

• Pain or discomfort during or after the procedure.
• Development of an infection in the procedure area.
• Inability to perform routine activities due to complications resulting from the procedure.

Insufficiently Staffed Healthcare Setting

There are instances when hospitals and other healthcare facilities experience a shortage of staff, resulting in lower-quality care. The problem here lies in the fact that this insufficiency can result in these establishments not delivering the expected standard of service to their patients, potentially harming their well-being.

Although healthcare professionals typically deliver exceptional care, mistakes can still happen, and patients are entitled to receive safe and proficient treatment. Therefore, if you or a family member have experienced harm or injury due to the actions of a doctor, surgeon, or healthcare provider, you can consult an attorney and seek medical malpractice claims.