What a Patient Should Really Know About Medical Malpractice

When you see a doctor, you have confidence in their abilities as a professional and their goodwill to treat your body with care. Medical practice is also highly regulated, and doctors swear an oath to protect human life. Yet, there have been many cases of medical professionals handling patients incompetently and some patients aren’t even aware they’ve been neglected. If you suspect you are a victim of medical malpractice and reside in California, it’s time to call a Southern California personal injury attorney. That said, here’s what you need to know about medical malpractice.

Alarming Medical Malpractice Statistics

Medical malpractices are surprisingly common. These are only a couple of the alarming statistics surrounding medical malpractice:

• According to John Hopkins, medical errors caused 251,454 deaths in 2013, becoming America’s third leading cause of death.
• According to Medical News Today, between 15,000 and 19,000 medical malpractice suits are filed annually in the United States.

The statistics show that although medical malpractices are widespread, most victims don’t take legal action. One of the common reasons people don’t take legal action is a lack of knowledge about what constitutes medical malpractice. If you live in California, you can look for a Southern California personal injury attorney to clarify the law for you and assist you in seeking justice.

Examples of Medical Malpractice

Some of the medical malpractices acknowledged by law include:

• Unwarranted surgery
• Misdiagnosis
• Leaving surgical items in the body
• Performing surgery on the wrong site
• Wrong medicine dosage
• Poor aftercare

How to Know if a Malpractice Occurred

If you’re conflicted about whether malpractice occurred, here are some basic conditions for a process to qualify as medical malpractice.

• There must have been a doctor-patient relationship. You contacted a doctor, and they agreed to receive payment for treating you.
• The medical practitioner violated a basic standard of care.
• The patient must demonstrate that the physician was negligent.
• The doctor’s negligence must have led to personal injury with significant consequences, for example, liver damage due to anesthesia error.

Medical malpractices are commonplace, and it’s essential to learn what qualifies as malpractice. A Southern California personal injury attorney can help you if you need more clarification. Give us a call today and get the legal assistance you deserve.