Medical malpractice is the third leading cause of death in the nation, causing only slightly fewer deaths than cancer and heart disease. As such a leading cause of death, you may be curious as to what medical malpractice entails. Medical malpractice is something that can be associated with any healthcare professional, including a doctor or even a hospital as a whole. An injury to a patient can be considered to be medical malpractice if it is caused by omission or a negligent act such as errors in medication dosage, health management, diagnosis, treatment, or aftercare.
It is important to keep in mind that though one may experience a bad outcome, this is not always proof of medical negligence. If you are not sure if your case meets the qualifications of medical malpractice, consult a team of Jacksonville personal injury attorneys, like our dedicated attorneys at Harris Guidi Rosner, P.A.
In order to be characterized as medical malpractice there are a few criteria that must be met:
Proper standard of care has not been upheld: Health care professionals are required to adhere to certain standards known as the “standard of care.” It is the patient’s right to expect that their health care professionals will deliver care according to these standards. If the health care provider does not uphold these standards, then a case of negligence may be established.
There is an injury as a result of negligence: In addition to the healthcare professional violating the standard of care, the patient must also prove that they sustained an injury as a result of that negligence. The injury must be proven to have been caused by negligence. There is likely no case if no injury or harm has occurred, or if an injury is sustained due to anything other than negligence.
Could my case be considered malpractice?
Not sure if your case would be considered medical malpractice? Here are some common examples of cases that would be considered medical malpractice:
- Not being diagnosed
- Misdiagnosis
- Wrong medication dosage
- Being discharged too early
- Misreading lab results
- Ignoring lab results
- Unnecessary surgery
- Incorrect surgery
- Surgical errors (ex: leaving things inside the patient’s body, wrong-site surgery)
- Persistent pain after surgery
- Potentially fatal infections acquired in the hospital
- Pressure ulcers, or bedsores
- Appropriate tests not ordered
- Failure to act on test results
- Poor or no follow-up
- Disregarding patient history
- Failure to recognize symptoms
Hire a Jacksonville Personal Injury Attorney
If you believe that you or a family member may have been a victim of medical malpractice, consider hiring a Jacksonville personal injury attorney to help you.
At Harris Guidi Rosner, P.A., we have a team of Jacksonville personal injury attorneys who can help you in your time of need. We do not charge for our initial consultation. We take the opportunity during our initial consultation to discuss your current situation, answer any questions you may have, and discuss how we can help with representation moving through the legal process.
The law firm of Harris Guidi Rosner, P.A. has been serving the people of Jacksonville and surrounding counties since 1976.
To let the Harris Guidi Rosner, P.A. attorneys assist you with your medical malpractice case, call 904-777-7777 or click our Jacksonville personal injury attorneys page to learn how we can help you. We are based in Jacksonville, Florida.
