Negligent medical treatment is disturbingly common in the United States. According to the Journal of the American Medical Association, approximately 225,000 people die every year due to medical malpractice.
Medical malpractice, or medical negligence, is when a medical professional causes harm to a patient as a result of a mistake or misconduct. However, in order to qualify as medical malpractice, the doctor’s mistake must have been made because they failed to follow protocol.
What causes medical malpractice lawsuits?
Negligent and careless medical treatment may be caused by a variety of reasons. Internists, in particular, have been known for being sued due to the harm caused by the following:
- Errors in diagnosis
- Errors in procedure performance
- Errors in monitoring subordinates
- Errors in prescription
- Errors in medicine administration
However, unlike other medical professionals, internists also have the highest success rate for settling malpractice cases. This is often because internists are still considered students and their mistakes, though harmful, are understandable.
Medical malpractice caused by the negligence of fully trained medical professionals, on the other hand, are less likely to be settled outside of court. This is because a practiced and licensed medical professional should know the standard practice of care. It’s also because the common causes of medical malpractice litigation are considered more serious. Consider the following causes of medical negligence:
- Failure to follow safety procedures. Doctors and medical professionals are obligated to follow safety procedures during treatment, observation, and care. Failure to follow these procedures can result in injury and infection on behalf of the patient.
- Abnormal side effects. Side effects such as illness and injury that may be abnormal sometimes result from negligence and malpractice during procedures and treatments. These side effects can be dangerous and may cause serious health risks.
- Failure to treat patients. Medical professionals are obligated to provide treatment once the patient has consented to the treatment. Health risks may result from a doctor failing to provide adequate treatment that would have otherwise been met by a standard medical professional.
If you or a loved one have been the victim of medical negligence, a Laguna Niguel personal injury lawyer may be able to help. Contact the personal injury lawyers of Zwick Law today for legal advice and a consultation.
