When you see a medical professional, you expect to be treated with the utmost care. Unfortunately, medical professionals can make mistakes. If you suffer injuries or if your condition worsens because of a doctor’s actions, you may have a medical malpractice case. Since medical malpractice can be a complex subject, it’s important to understand what constitutes medical malpractice.
Negligence in a Medical Malpractice Case
Mistakes do happen in medicine. If a doctor makes a mistake, you may not necessarily have a case. The medical professional has to act negligently. This means that he or she had to act in a way that other doctors in the same circumstances wouldn’t. If a medical professional makes a mistake that any other medical professional would make under similar circumstances, then it is not negligence. In addition to negligence, the mistake has to harm you in some way. There must be physical or monetary damages because of the doctor.
Types of Medical Malpractice Cases
When a doctor breaches the standard of care and causes an injury, you may have a case. There are several ways that a doctor can act negligently. The most common lawsuits are for missed diagnoses or delayed diagnoses. Doctors are most likely to miss a diagnosis of a heart attack, appendicitis or cancer. If in an emergency room, this often has to do with the speed at which doctors have to perform.
Unfortunately, if a doctor fails to diagnose you, the problem can get worse over time. Treatments for the wrong ailments can even harm a patient. To prove that you have a medical malpractice case when it comes to a missed diagnosis or delayed diagnosis, you have to prove that your condition progressed or you had a negative reaction to the treatment for the wrong ailment. For example, if you go to the hospital complaining of chest pain and the doctors diagnose you with heartburn when you’re having a heart attack, it can have serious consequences.
Other types of medical malpractice cases include:
- Lack of informed consent
- Spinal cord injuries
- Birth injuries
- Medical device errors
- Dental malpractice
When it comes to medical malpractice, you can alleviate any uncertainty by speaking with professionals who specialize in medical malpractice Houston TX patients can trust.
If you suffer any injuries or conditions because of a doctor or medical professional’s actions, you may have a case. In order to have a medical malpractice case, the medical professional had to act negligently.
