Types Of Medical Malpractice

Medical malpractice is a broad term that can include a variety of incidents in which a patient is harmed due to the negligence of a medical professional. Such errors create dire health problems for the victims, including death for tens of thousands of people each year. The saddest part is that all of tragedies were avoidable.  

Examples of commonly occurring medical malpractice include:

• Medication errors: This includes prescribing the wrong medication or administering the incorrect dosage of medication, and is the most common medical error.
• Surgical errors: If a surgeon operates without appropriate caution and injures a patient, the results can be severe and even life-threatening. Surgical errors include wrong site surgery, instruments being left in a patient, the wrong procedure being conducted, and the wrong patient being operated on.
• Nursing home and hospital errors: When medical facilities are understaffed, existing nurses and other employees can be overworked and more prone to mistakes and negligent behavior. Common nursing and hospital errors include incorrect documentation of medical conditions or prescription medications, improper use of medical devices, and failure to monitor patients.
• Anesthesia mistakes: If anesthesia is administered incorrectly, or the patient is not monitored appropriately, complications can arise such as brain injury, severe allergic reaction, breathing difficulties, spinal cord injury, coma, and even death.
• Failure to diagnose and incorrect diagnosis: Diagnosing a serious condition isn’t easy. A medical professional can do everything right, follow every protocol, and a diagnosis can still be incorrect. This is a tragic situation, but it’s not always legally actionable. Cases involving diagnosis errors are judged by the same standards as other medical malpractice cases. You have to demonstrate that the medical professional in question violated a professional standard of care in attempting to diagnose your condition.

If you or a loved one has been harmed due to a medical error, please contact the medical malpractice attorneys at the Duncan Firm today for a free, no obligation consultation. We are located in Little Rock, but serve victims across Arkansas and several other states.