What is Medical Malpractice?

Medical malpractice happens when a doctor, hospital, nurse, or health care professional does not provide care in line with medical standards. When substandard care results in a new injury or worsens the patient’s condition, the doctor is negligent and should be liable for the resulting harm.

Malpractice can happen at any time during the healthcare process, including during intake, diagnosis, surgery, hospitalization, or at any point when managing the patient.

Some examples of medical malpractice include:

• Birth injuries before, during, or after delivery
• Emergency room errors, such as delay of treatment, misdiagnosis, or wrongful discharge
• Surgery errors, like leaving a foreign object in the body or operating while impaired. Wrong-site surgery might also happen when a doctor operates on the wrong body part
• Hospital infections or sepsis due to a lack of cleanliness or cross-contamination 
• Anesthesia mistakes that lead to the patient being conscious during their procedure or administering the wrong type of anesthetic 
• Pharmacist errors that lead to a patient taking the wrong medication or dosage. The patient might have a reaction or overdose. 
• Discharging a patient from the hospital prematurely, before they achieve stability or receive a diagnosis of their injury
• Misdiagnosis of an illness or injury that results in preventable progression of the condition
• Radiology errors when techs misread or report scans and other tests

This is far from an exhaustive list of medical errors that might cause you harm. Anytime you suffer a medical injury, allow an attorney from TopDog Law’s network to evaluate whether you have a possible malpractice case.