Most Common Types Of Medical Malpractice

If a healthcare professional fails to meet the standard of care while treating you, they might be guilty of medical malpractice. Medical malpractice is when a health professional breaches the standard of care, which is the degree of care that professionals in that area or with that specialty should reasonably be expected to provide. 

If a healthcare provider breaches this standard of care and their negligence directly leads to an injury or some sort of secondary consequence (like another disease), it’s considered “medical malpractice.” 

In this discussion, we will go into detail about the most common types of medical malpractice so that you can recognize if you’ve been treated unfairly by your physician. If you feel like something wasn’t right while receiving treatment, it may be because your doctor failed to meet the standard of care. 

If you believe you are a victim of medical negligence, we urge you to reach out to our medical malpractice law firm today. At the Doctor Lawyer Firm, we specialize in malpractice lawsuits and are happy to discuss your claim. In the meantime, read on to learn more about the most common types of medical malpractice.

Failure to Diagnose

If a doctor fails to identify or misdiagnoses an illness in you or a family member, it’s considered medical malpractice. This is one of the most common types of medical malpractice. It can be difficult to prove because all of us have trouble recognizing our own symptoms. 

Sometimes we’re in denial about our conditions, which sometimes results in delayed diagnosis. Other times, we just don’t know what’s wrong with us. If you’re experiencing odd symptoms and your doctor fails to diagnose you properly, it might be due to medical malpractice. 

A lot of times, this type of malpractice occurs during annual checkups. Your doctor might not recognize a problem that you’ve been having for years. This is because annual checkups are typically quick examinations, and a doctor may not have enough time to thoroughly evaluate you. 

If you have symptoms that could be a serious condition, you should request a thorough exam so that your doctor can take enough time to identify any potential issues.

Faulty Diagnosis

A faulty or wrong diagnosis is when a doctor incorrectly identifies the ailment or condition that you or a family member is experiencing. This can happen for a few different reasons. For example, your doctor may misread your test results, or they might not thoroughly investigate your condition. 

If a doctor misreads your test results, they might come to an incorrect conclusion about your condition. This can quickly lead to harm on your part. That’s why it’s so important to have an experienced medical malpractice law firm in your corner.

Lack of Informed Consent

When a doctor fails to inform you of the risks and benefits of a certain procedure or treatment, it’s called a lack of informed consent. Many times, doctors will fail to inform patients about the risks of certain treatments or procedures, especially when the risks are minimal. 

If you visit a doctor for a certain treatment, you have the right to know about the risks and side effects. A doctor might fail to inform you about certain risks if they don’t think those risks are significant or if they don’t want to worry you. 

For example, if you visit your doctor for a specific condition and they perform surgery without telling you, it’s a lack of informed consent. Your medical malpractice law firm will thoroughly investigate such matters to ensure you are compensated for your injury.

Lack of Due Care

A doctor might commit a lack of due care if they don’t follow proper hygiene standards. This can include improper hand-washing techniques, failing to wear gloves, or leaving a dirty scalpel on the counter after completing an operation. 

Another example of a lack of due care is if a doctor doesn’t take the right precautions when dealing with an infectious disease. If a doctor fails to follow proper protocols, you might contract an infection such as hepatitis or HIV. 

It’s important to watch for signs of infection after a doctor’s visit, especially if you believe your doctor failed to follow due care.

Medical Mistakes

Sometimes, a health professional will make a mistake during treatment. This is called a medical mistake, and it can occur during virtually any type of healthcare procedure. The most common type of medical mistake is an incorrect procedure or treatment. 

If a doctor fails to perform the treatment or procedure that you expected, it might be due to a medical mistake. For instance, say you have carpal tunnel syndrome, and you visit a doctor for a surgical procedure that should help your condition. 

If the doctor mistakenly injures a nerve during the surgery when they were supposed to be removing scar tissue, it’s a medical mistake.

Wrong Procedure or Treatment

A doctor may also commit medical malpractice if they perform the wrong procedure or give you the wrong medication. For instance, say you visit a doctor for a urinary tract infection. 

If the doctor prescribes you the wrong antibiotic, it’s the wrong treatment. If the doctor performs the wrong operation, it’s also considered a wrong procedure or treatment. When a doctor performs the wrong procedure or gives you the wrong medication, it’s not always because they’re being careless. 

Sometimes, they simply make an honest mistake. However, if a doctor makes a mistake while treating you, they might be guilty of medical malpractice.

Call the Doctor Lawyer Firm if You Are a Victim of Medical Malpractice

The Doctor Lawyer Firm is your trusted medical malpractice law firm. We’ve helped our clients win millions of dollars in damages. To make an appointment with our medical malpractice law firm, please call us at 1-833-MedMals or reach us via our contact form .

The information in this blog post is for reference only and not legal advice. As such, you should not decide whether to contact a lawyer based on the information in this blog post. Moreover, there is no lawyer-client relationship resulting from this blog post, nor should any such relationship be implied. If you need legal counsel, please consult a lawyer licensed to practice in your jurisdiction.