How to Identify Harm Caused by Medical Malpractice 

 Posted on April 28, 2023 in Medical Malpractice

While physicians and nurses are healers, they do not possess a superhuman ability to mitigate, let alone cure, all medical conditions. Nor are they empowered to prevent every type of harm that a patient could conceivably suffer. As a result of this reality, identifying what kinds of patient harm are – and are not – evidence of medical malpractice can be extremely difficult. After all, not every interaction with a patient ends in a favorable outcome and that is certainly not always the fault of healthcare providers.

With that said, more than enough unfavorable patient outcomes that do occur are caused by substandard care on the part of healthcare providers. As a result, it is important for those who are suffering in ways that may have been prevented to thoroughly investigate their circumstances. In the event that the harm in question was caused by an actionable mistake or another negligent approach to patient care, the affected living patient or a deceased patient’s surviving loved ones may have grounds upon which to file a medical malpractice lawsuit.

Signs that Your Harm May Be Actionable

Unless you or a loved one witness a healthcare provider make a mistake or a provider admits to making a mistake, there are few surefire ways to identify when a healthcare situation resulting in harm may be actionable. With that said, some warning signs of medical negligence should prompt you to speak with an attorney about whether you or a loved one may have suffered due to medical malpractice. These are a few of the most common:

• Being diagnosed with a condition that is relatively advanced, even though you have received related medical care during what was likely to be the early stages of your condition

• Discovering that test results were either misread or not taken seriously before a condition escalated

• Receiving a relatively innocuous diagnosis in an emergency department setting only to discover that you were suffering from a significant challenge

• Experiencing adverse consequences related to medication that are not common side effects of that treatment

• Acquiring a severe infection after undergoing surgery or being hospitalized

Additionally, if your baby has suffered significant harm related to the process of labor and delivery, it is almost certainly worth your effort to speak with an attorney.

Connect with a Reputable Winnebago County Medical Malpractice Lawyer for Free to Learn More

You do not need to know that you have an actionable case on your hands before speaking with the dedicated team of Rockford, IL medical malpractice lawyers at Mannarino & Brasfield, A Division of Schwartz Injury Law. In fact, we offer free case evaluations partially because we understand that many patients cannot know for sure whether their situation is actionable until it has been evaluated by a skilled legal team.

To get started, please call our team at 815-215-7561 or submit a contact form on our website. We look forward to learning about your circumstances and providing you with any legal support that you may require at this time.  

Source:

https://psnet.ahrq.gov/primer/adverse-events-near-misses-and-errors