What are the major causes of medical malpractice?
Healthcare providers are respectable members of society. These professionals take an oath to provide the utmost care while treating their patients. In fact, healthcare providers have a legal duty to provide a certain standard of care to their patients.
Unfortunately, it is not uncommon for these professionals to fail to uphold their duty of care. When a healthcare provider purposefully causes harm to the patient under the care, they may be held liable for medical malpractice. Here are three ways a doctor can be found liable for medical malpractice.
Prescription errors
When a doctor prescribes the wrong medication for your condition, you might end up treating the wrong disease. As a result, your original condition may worsen resulting in serious injuries. The same applies when the doctor prescribes the wrong dosage for your treatment. An overdose, for instance, may result in the patient’s death. Sometimes, doctors even prescribe the wrong drug combination resulting in complications for the patient.
A wrong diagnosis
Sometimes, the doctor may diagnose the patient with the wrong condition or illness. Obviously, this could lead to the administration of the wrong treatment. When this happens, the patient can potentially suffer more harm. Other times, the doctor may tell a patient their condition isn’t serious without doing a thorough exam. For instance, the doctor may fail to detect a tumor resulting in the spread of cancer in the patient’s body. The failure to diagnose that kind of condition can prove fatal for a patient.
Lack of consent
Patients and their families need to know exactly what they are dealing with, the available treatment options as well as the potential risks so they can consent or decline the procedure. This is especially important when undergoing cosmetic procedures or treatments that involve surgery. If the patient or their family does not consent to a treatment procedure, and something happens, the doctor may be held responsible.
A medical malpractice-related injury can turn your life upside down. Find out how you can pursue justice if you are a victim of a doctor’s oversight during treatment.