Hospitals are meant to be places of healing, but when medical professionals make mistakes, patients can suffer serious harm. Hospital malpractice occurs when a hospital or its staff fails to provide proper medical care, leading to injury, illness, or even death. If you or a loved one has experienced hospital malpractice, understanding common types of negligence and how to prove your case is essential.
Common Types Of Hospital Malpractice
1. Misdiagnosis Or Delayed Diagnosis
A misdiagnosis occurs when a doctor incorrectly identifies a medical condition, leading to improper treatment. Delayed diagnosis happens when a correct diagnosis is made too late, allowing the condition to worsen. Both scenarios can result in severe health complications or death.
2. Surgical Errors
Surgical mistakes can have life-altering consequences. Common errors include operating on the wrong body part, leaving surgical instruments inside a patient, or causing nerve damage. These mistakes often result from negligence, fatigue, or poor communication among medical staff.
3. Medication Errors
Hospitals are responsible for ensuring that patients receive the correct medications in the proper dosage. Errors occur when the wrong drug is prescribed, an incorrect dose is administered, or a patient’s allergies are ignored. Medication errors can cause severe reactions, overdose, or even death.
4. Birth Injuries
As our friends at Rasmussen & Miner can attest, negligence during childbirth can lead to lifelong disabilities for both the baby and the mother. Common birth injuries caused by malpractice include cerebral palsy, Erb’s palsy, and brain damage due to oxygen deprivation. These injuries often occur due to improper use of forceps, failure to perform a necessary C-section, or delayed response to fetal distress.
5. Anesthesia Errors
Anesthesia mistakes can be extremely dangerous, leading to brain damage, heart failure, or death. Common errors include administering too much or too little anesthesia, failing to monitor vital signs, or not checking for patient allergies.
6. Hospital-Acquired Infections
Hospitals must follow strict sanitation guidelines to prevent infections. When hygiene protocols are ignored, patients may contract infections such as MRSA, sepsis, or pneumonia. These infections can be life-threatening and are often preventable with proper hospital procedures.
7. Failure To Monitor Patients
Patients require proper monitoring, especially after surgery, childbirth, or when dealing with critical conditions. If hospital staff fails to check vital signs, recognize complications, or respond to distress signals, it can lead to severe health consequences.
How To Prove Hospital Malpractice
Proving hospital malpractice requires demonstrating that negligence occurred. Here’s what you need to establish:
1. Duty Of Care
You must prove that the hospital or medical professional had a duty to provide proper medical care. This is generally easy to establish since hospitals owe a duty of care to their patients.
2. Breach Of Duty
You must show that the hospital or its staff failed to meet the standard of care. This can include medical errors, lack of proper procedures, or poor decision-making.
3. Causation
It must be proven that the hospital’s negligence directly caused your injury or worsened your condition. This often requires expert medical testimony.
4. Damages
You must demonstrate that you suffered damages, such as medical expenses, lost wages, pain and suffering, or emotional distress.
Hospital malpractice can have devastating consequences, but victims have legal options. Understanding the common types of malpractice and how to prove your case is the first step toward justice. If you believe you have a claim, consulting an experienced hospital malpractice lawyer can help you seek the compensation you deserve.