We are lucky to live in Orange County, where medical treatments go smoothly most of the time. Unfortunately, they occasionally do not. If this is ever the case for you or a loved one, you may consider opening a lawsuit against the person or company at fault. Though the best way to understand medical malpractice is by talking to a lawyer, you can understand what constitutes this charge by reading the examples below.
Getting an Infection
Doctors and surgeons take a variety of precautions when giving you medical treatment. Among them are washing hands, disinfecting tools, and keeping a sterile environment. Unfortunately, infections still happen. The most common situation in which they do is surgeries. While the procedure can succeed, you could contract a dangerous disease.
Surgery Making Things Worse
Though infection is a significant risk for patients, there are other ways that procedures can go wrong. The most common of them are experiencing considerable pain. Many elect to get surgery because they feel intense discomfort. Then, once the treatment is over, their pain gets even worse. This effect can occur due to swelling, scar tissue, or poor surgical methods. Some other issues that worsen things are blood clotting, allergic reactions, and collapsed lungs.
Improper Diagnosis
Sometimes, a patient will not even get to the treatment stage before becoming a malpractice victim. The reason is that the doctor does not diagnose them correctly. This is an insignificant outcome for some ailments but deadly for others. An improper diagnosis can delay needed treatment, give you unnecessary medication, and much more.
Unsafe Anesthesia
Though anesthesia is a safe practice, medical professionals must administer it responsibly. The reason is that this treatment occasionally goes wrong, and doctors must know what to do when that happens. The process they should go through is understanding your allergies, giving you a proper dose, and monitoring your vitals. They could be liable if the doctor does not complete those stages responsibly.
Prescribed Harmful Drugs
As we mentioned above, one of the dangers of misdiagnosis is the administering of unnecessary drugs. Unfortunately, that medication can have adverse health outcomes if you do not have the condition they treat. Additionally, even correctly prescribed drugs can end up hurting you. The most common example of this consequence is an allergic reaction. Knowing your allergies can help you defend against harmful prescriptions, but a medical malpractice lawyer in Orange County can help protect you if the malpractice is unavoidable.
Lack of Information About Treatment Risks
When it comes to medical treatment, there is almost always a trade-off. You might benefit from a medication, but consider the side effects before taking it. You can apply this philosophy to surgeries, too. No matter what, a lot can go wrong during a procedure, and you need to consider the dangers. Unfortunately, many patients do not know what complications they face with medical treatments because their doctors do not tell them. Education is part of a medical professional’s duty, so not giving it can lead to liability.
Loss of a Loved One
Sometimes, it isn’t you who needs medical malpractice help. Instead, you lose a loved one to a medical error and feel the need to seek compensation on that person’s behalf. A death that happens under normal circumstances will not be enough for a lawsuit; one that comes about from medical malpractice will. This type of suit is generally pursued by spouses, domestic partners, children, or anyone else who relied on the deceased for financial support.
Now that you understand some typical situations in which medical malpractice is at play, you can defend yourself and your loved ones in the future. You should investigate if you have a credible claim or not if anything goes wrong during treatment, especially if that issue is on this list. If you decide you have a shot at a lawsuit or aren’t sure if you do, your next move is to find an experienced medical malpractice lawyer in Orange County.
