Common Causes of Medical Malpractice

Surgeons, dentists, general practitioners, specialists, and other medical professionals are required to provide patients with a quality standard of care. Though not all poor health outcomes are the result of providers deviating from an accepted standard of care, many are.

In fact, a recent study from Johns Hopkins found that medical mistakes are the third leading cause of death in the United States, after heart disease and cancer.

In the event of a poor outcome, doctors and other medical personnel are judged based on what a competent medical professional with a comparable background would have done in similar circumstances. If providers with related training and experience wouldn’t have made the same mistake in this situation, the patient—or surviving family members—may have grounds for a medical malpractice claim.
Some of the most common causes of medical malpractice include:

• Failure to diagnose/delayed diagnosis. The medical professional fails to diagnose a condition or takes much longer to diagnose it than a similarly-trained provider would.
• Misdiagnosis. The doctor arrives at an incorrect diagnosis.
• Incorrect treatment. The patient is given the wrong treatment. This could be a mistake or the result of a misdiagnosis.
• Medication errors. The patient is administered the wrong medication, an incorrect dosage of prescribed medication, or medication that negatively interacts with another drug they’re taking.
• Poor patient education and instruction. Medical professionals fail to provide the patient with sufficient instructions regarding treatments and aftercare.
• Informed consent issues. The doctor fails to inform the patient of potential risks related to a treatment or procedure.
• Surgical mistakes. A medical provider botches a surgery, performs the wrong surgery, performs a surgery on the wrong patient, or administers incorrect post-op care.
• Insufficient safety procedures. A lack of suitable safety protocols or a refusal to follow them causes harm to the patient.

Consult an Experienced Georgia Medical Malpractice Attorney

If you or someone you love was injured and suffered losses as a result of medical negligence, you may be entitled to compensation for medical expenses, lost income, pain and suffering, and other damages.
The skilled personal injury attorneys with Van Sant Law can review your case, help you understand your legal rights and options, and fight for financial recovery. Contact us today to schedule an appointment for a free consultation.