Medical Malpractice Negligence In Hospitals: Preventable Harm
Misdiagnosis. Medication errors. Laboratory test mix-ups. These are just a few of the scenarios that can lead to legal action after an individual or loved one is injured or dies due to medical malpractice negligence in a hospital or medical center. And they are far too common. Evidence-based research estimates show that over 400,000 patients die due to preventable harm in hospitals each year.1
Determining the extent of harm caused and providing provable causative factors is essential in securing grounds for a medical malpractice negligence lawsuit. Were all patient symptoms addressed? Were all medications and any potential or known interactions carefully reviewed? Did treatment that was provided make the patient’s injury or condition worse? Was the patient misdiagnosed, or not diagnosed at all? These are only a sample of a plethora of questions whose answers help determine the validity and value of a medical malpractice negligence claim.
Misdiagnosis alone accounts for a vast amount of errors. Research has shown that not only is there insufficient follow-up when one medical professional misdiagnoses a patient and another diagnoses the same individual properly, but also that 12 million patients in the U.S. are misdiagnosed annually.2,3
Whether it is a medical condition, illness, or injury, the use of transparency, communication, and follow-up all play critical roles in avoiding preventable harm—and in assessing whether a standard of care was not met in providing services to an individual who sustained injury or died. Therefore a complete and detailed analysis of records is an essential part of the review process. Expert witnesses who specialize in particular areas of medicine are often used in such cases.
Meeting with an experienced Florida Medical Malpractice lawyer for an initial consultation is an important step. It is beneficial to research information about lawyers who specialize in medical malpractice negligence, or if possible, who specialize in the specific type of medical malpractice negligence involved. Many lawyers and legal teams offer free initial consultations.
At Mallard & Sharp, P.A., we specialize in Miami Florida Medical Malpractice Negligence. To schedule a free initial consultation with our expert legal team call 877.662.5527 or 305.461.4800.
1James, John T. “A new, evidence-based estimate of patient harms associated with hospital care.”Journal of patient safety vol. 9,3 (2013): 122-8. doi:10.1097/PTS.0b013e3182948a69
2 https://www.research.va.gov/currents/summer2014/summer2014-8.cfm
3 Singh, Hardeep et al. “The frequency of diagnostic errors in outpatient care: estimations from three large observational studies involving US adult populations.” BMJ quality & safety vol. 23,9 (2014): 727-31. doi:10.1136/bmjqs-2013-002627