When we visit your doctor or medical provider, whether it's for something routine or something more serious, we all expect a certain standard of care and due diligence. As your doctor, your medical practitioner has a legal obligation to give you the best medical care they can. But what happens when things go wrong?
There is usually a case for medical malpractice when a patient is negatively impacted by the actions or substandard care given by their health care provider. This is usually followed by a claim for compensation.
What follows are the most common cases of malpractice. If any of these are familiar, then you should speak to your attorney for more advice.If you're looking for a Toronto medical malpractice lawyer then click the link.
A misdiagnosis
This is by far one of the more common cases of malpractice. It also covers a wide spectrum of circumstances, illnesses and conditions. A misdiagnosis occurs when your doctor diagnoses you with one condition when in actual fact you're suffering with another. This malpractice can result in the correct treatment being delayed and in turn, compromising your health for years to come. Commonly misdiagnosed illnesses include:
- Cancer
- Lyme disease
- Heart attack
- Celiac disease
Delayed diagnosis
Delayed diagnosis and a misdiagnosis often closely coincide. A delayed diagnosis is considered malpractice because it means that an illness or condition has been allowed to progress and in fact worsen overtime. With the result being a poorer outlook for the patient in question, especially in cases where cancer or another degenerative illness is the problem. This would qualify as negligence if the doctor has not treated the patient thoroughly enough. For example, not conducting certain tests that would have been the most logical step towards the diagnosis.
Childbirth injuries
It doesn't bear thinking about, but childbirth injuries do happen, and they can be devastating for everyone involved. When you're looking forward to a newborn entering your life the last thing you imagine is a malpractice case. A case for childbirth injuries usually occurs when the medical provider makes a mistake during birth or prenatal care, the result effecting the quality of life of the child and even the mother. The most common childbirth injuries include:
- Surgical errors during a C section
- A lack of oxygen to the baby during birth
- The mother suffering massive blood loss (hemorrhage) potentially resulting in death
- Improper use of forceps
- Damage to the baby's neck and shoulder (being pulled to far) resulting in nerve damage
- Fractures to the clavicle
Surgical errors
When you undergo surgery, you expect at the very least for your surgeon and the medical team involved to have a high standard of care and skill. The very idea is terrifying, but it happens more often than you might think! Some examples of surgical errors include:
- Not using sterilised equipment to perform surgery
- Leaving medical equipment inside the patient
- Damage caused to organs or tissue
- Performing the wrong procedure
- Improper care post/pre-surgery