What is Medical Malpractice?

Medical malpractice occurs when a health care professional (including nurses, doctors, etc.) injures a patient by failing to provide the required standard of care. This can be a result of errors in diagnosis, treatment, aftercare or health management.

To establish that medical malpractice occurred, the following must be proven:

1. Failure to provide an appropriate level of care: Healthcare providers had duty to provide the proper level of care and failed to do so.
2. An injury was caused by the negligence of the healthcare provider: A violation of standard care alone is not enough to prove that medical malpractice has occurred. Injuries caused by the healthcare provider’s failure to provide appropriate care must also be proven.

If you were under the care of a medical professional and suffered a significant injury, contact Qualified Counsel. We can find the right medical malpractice attorney for your specific case.

Types of Medical Malpractice Cases

There are many types of medical malpractice. Some of the most common include:

• Birth injuries – What should be a joyous time in the lives of any family can become a nightmare when trust is misplaced in the wrong doctor or hospital.
• Misdiagnosis or failure to diagnose – One of the most common forms of medical malpractice is the simple failure of a doctor to diagnose the true issue with a patient.
• Cerebral palsy / Erb’s palsy – Affecting hundreds of thousands of people in the United States, cerebal palsy can sometimes be the terrible result of negligence.
• Surgical errors – All surgeries carry risk, however each year in the United States there are over 4,000 cases of surgical errors, including instances of the wrong surgery being performed or operations on the incorrect body part.
• Improper medication – According to the WHO, approximately 1.3 million people are injured every year as a result of errors in medication.
• Anesthesia errors – Many injuries can occur as a results of improper anesthesia, including tooth damage, nerve damage, organ damage, cardiopulmonary arrest and sometimes death.
• Premature discharge & poor aftercare – Multiple studies have shown that it is common for roughly 10% of patients under medical care to be discharged prematurely.
• Emergency room errors – Often overworked and understaffed, any number of the above common instances of medical malpractice can take place when a patient is admitted to an emergency room.

The experienced medical malpractice attorneys in Qualified Counsel’s network can help you determine whether you were negligently injured by your medical provider and if so, ensure that you are properly compensated. Contact Qualified Counsel now to find the right attorney for your case.