Gordon & Doner, P.A. issued the following announcement on Aug. 6.
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 & Doner’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. Some of these may occur when a health care provider:
Fails to ask the patient if he or she is currently prescribed medications or regularly takes any other over-the-counter drugs
Prescribes the wrong dosage or type of medication
Neglects to explain the dangerous associated with a drug or medication
Administers the patient with a drug he or she may be allergic to or experience an adverse medical reaction towards
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 physical or mental disabilities. This may include:
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 provide diagnosis the patient with the medical condition. This often results in unnecessary and dangerous treatment, and may worsen the patent’s actual condition.
Likewise, a delayed diagnosis occurs when a health care provider fails to recognize and diagnose a patient’s medical condition until a later date. Often, a delayed diagnosis prevents the patient from receiving timely treatment and worsens his or her condition, resulting in the patient suffering an injury or 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 any 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. Some of the most common ways doctors make anesthesia errors include:
Neglecting to review the patient’s over 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 may occur when a surgeon’s mistake results in a patient suffering injury or death. 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 for 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
Original source can be found here.