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The Common Types of Medical Malpractice

When a person seeks medical treatment, they are putting their faith in the healthcare provider. After all, healthcare providers are meant to help those that they treat. However, it can be devastating to realize that there has been medical malpractice. This can destroy trust between provider and patient, and seriously injure the victim.

When medical professionals do not adhere to the certain standard of care expected of them and cause harm to their patients, this can be considered medical malpractice. In order to prove medical malpractice, there must be a doctor-patient relationship. This means that you hired a doctor, and the doctor agreed to treat you. The doctor was then negligent, and the negligence caused the injury. Then, the final part of the case requires that the injury was harmful and led to specific damages. These four things are required to be able to file a medical malpractice case. Here are the most common types of medical malpractice.

A failure to diagnose or misdiagnosis can lead to a medical malpractice case. Incorrectly diagnosing a health condition can lead to severe injury, as well as minimizing the patient’s chances of recovery. If a competent doctor would have discovered the condition or made a different diagnosis, then this becomes a medical malpractice case. The failure to diagnose life-threatening conditions can have devastating consequences. Commonly misdiagnosed health conditions can include heart attacks or cancer, leading to catastrophic injuries.

Improper treatment is dangerous as well. This happens when a healthcare provider performs a treatment that another doctor would not reasonably provide. Another example is if a doctor chooses the right treatment, but fails to administer it correctly. If a medical professional treats a patient improperly at the time of care, then this becomes a medical malpractice case.

The last type of medical malpractice occurs when a healthcare professional does not warn the patient of all known risks for a certain procedure. Medical providers must tell a patient of all known risks for any procedure or treatment. If treatment is administered that causes harm, and the patient would have refused treatment had they known the risks, this can be considered a medical malpractice case.

Additional types of medical malpractice can include prescription drug errors, surgical errors, and birth injuries. Prescription drug errors occur when the wrong drugs are prescribed, dosed, or administered. Surgical errors can occur when the surgical team left tools inside the body, the wrong side was operated on, or if it was the wrong patient. Medical malpractice claims can also include OBGYNs for birth-related medical mistakes like nerve damage, spinal cord injuries, or cerebral palsy.

If you have been injured due to medical malpractice, know that it is not your fault. While they can be scary and dangerous, you are not alone. Here at Greathouse Trial Law, we want to help you understand what your rights are as a victim of a slip and fall.

Contact us today for your free case evaluation. We aim to serve the great people of Atlanta and to give a voice to the voiceless.

Greathouse Trial Law
260 Peachtree Street NW Suite 803
Atlanta, GA 30303
(678) 310-2827
https://atltriallaw.com/

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Riah Greathouse

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