Common Causes of Malpractice Litigation

Malpractice litigation is a tense procedure. The degree to which an error is malpractice based on whether the patient is able to establish four legal elements such as a professional duty breach of this duty; harm caused by the breach and damages that can be quantifiable.

Plaintiffs must also prove the facts using evidence like expert testimony and depositions.

The wrong diagnosis and the inability to recognize

The failure of a physician to correctly diagnose an illness or injury could lead to serious complications or even death. Incorrect diagnosis is a common cause of medical negligence. To establish negligence, a patient or their lawyer must prove that an experienced doctor in similar circumstances would not have misdiagnosed a problem.

The misdiagnosis of a patient does not always mean malpractice. Even highly experienced and trained doctors can make errors. Therefore, any claim of malpractice has to be backed by other factors like breach, proximate causes and actual injury. For example If a doctor does not take the time to sterilize their equipment prior to administering anesthesia, and the patient develops an infection in the process the doctor could be liable for malpractice.

Lawsuits that claim malpractice are usually filed in state trial courts where the alleged malpractice occurred. However, federal courts might have jurisdiction in certain situations. For example, a claim could be filed in federal court if it involves a dispute over the time limit for filing a claim or when there is a significant variation in the citizenship of the parties involved in the case. Alternatively, some claims are settled through voluntary binding arbitration. This is a less formal process with professional decision makers. It is designed to reduce costs, speed up legal proceedings and remove the possibility of excessively generous juries. However, arbitration isn't accessible for all claims of malpractice.

The wrong dosage of medication

Medication errors--also called medication mistakes--are among the most common causes of medical malpractice lawsuits. These errors can be caused by a physician submitting prescriptions in a wrong format or giving the patient the incorrect dosage. These mistakes are usually avoidable. Depending on the circumstances, a hospital or its staff, a pharmacist or other health care providers may be held liable for the injuries of the patient who received the wrong drug dosage.

A doctor could prescribe the incorrect medication to a patient because of an inaccurate diagnosis or simply because they misread the prescription. A health care provider may also prescribe the wrong dosage because of an interruption in communication for example, when the nurse reads the doctor's handwritten script in error or the pharmacist makes an error in filling out the prescription. In other cases doctors may delay the proper medication to the patient, which could result in their condition deteriorating.

A person seeking compensation must prove, for the sake of winning a malpractice claim that the medical professional violated their professional standards and that their injuries were directly attributed to the negligence. This requires medical experts to be present. Additionally, a medical malpractice case must demonstrate the extent of the injuries suffered by a victim and the damages they suffered because of the negligence. This includes the costs of treatment as well as any lost wages. Generally, the greater a person's losses are then, the more valuable the claim will be.

The wrong procedure

It might seem absurd that medical professionals would perform the incorrect procedure on a patient, however, this kind of thing does occur. A surgeon who makes this error could be held accountable for negligence. However patients who are injured by a surgical mistake could also be held accountable for any negligence that occurred during the path to the procedure.

A medical professional accused of malpractice has to prove that the patient was injured due to an act or inability to act. To prove this the legal team representing the patient has to prove: (1) that the doctor was legally obligated to care for or treat the patient; (2) that he breached that duty; (3) that a causal link exists between the negligence and injury; and (4) the harm results in damages that the legal system can address.

A breach of the duty of care is not relevant unless it causes injury which is why medical malpractice claims are usually based on a legal doctrine called "res ipsa loquitur." This law states that, in many instances certain injuries are obvious and unmistakable that they are only explained by negligence.

Based on the circumstances the plaintiff (the person who filed the claim or their legal representative) or their lawyer can choose to file in state or federal court. The majority of malpractice cases are filed in state courts, Malpractice lawsuits however in certain situations medical malpractice lawsuits could be filed in federal district court.

Wrong Surgery

A wrong-site procedure is a rare error, but it can be considered medical malpractice if the procedure is performed on the wrong area of the body. This kind of error is often caused by miscommunication between the members of a surgical team or production pressure that results in the surgeon being tasked with multiple surgeries at the same time. In these instances, the surgeon is not solely responsible for his or her responsibility for an incorrect-site procedure because there is an underlying legal principle referred to as "res ipsa loquitur" which means that the result of the error speaks for itself and cannot be attributed to negligence.

When a patient is injured due to surgery performed on the wrong site it is possible that he or she will require additional procedures to fix problems exacerbated by the surgical error. This leads to costly medical bills for patients and their families. These expenses should be considered when calculating the financial consequences of medical malpractice lawsuits.

The majority of times surgeons are accountable for surgical errors. They are accountable in preparing the patient for the procedure, examining the medical records and chart of the patient, coordinating with the rest of the medical personnel, and ensuring that the incision was placed in the correct place. However, in some cases an anesthesiologist or a hospital could also be held responsible. Medical malpractice cases are usually filed in state court but may be transferred in certain circumstances to federal court.