Medical malpractice is a very serious and potentially devastating event that often requires the help of an attorney to obtain appropriate restitution. If you have been the victim of malpractice by a medical professional, you are entitled to be compensated.

There are many types of malpractice, and they all start with a mistake made by a medical professional. We’ve compiled a list of the most common types of malpractice and medical neglect by health care professionals.

Top 14 Signs You May Have Suffered From Medical Malpractice

1. Your Disease Was Not Diagnosed

Sometimes patients know that something is terribly wrong, but the doctor doesn’t seem to believe them when they go in to have their symptoms evaluated. Patients may return to the doctor’s office many times only to be told that nothing is wrong or that the problem is something that will resolve on its own. Unfortunately, this can end in a medical mistake called failure to diagnose.

If you had a medical condition that your doctor did not diagnose, you could be the victim of a serious medical mistake. If too much time has passed, your condition could have gotten much more serious while it remained undiagnosed.

2. You Were Given an Incorrect Diagnosis

If you visited your doctor and were given an incorrect diagnosis, your doctor may have made a medical error. Medical professionals have a responsibility to run appropriate tests and carefully evaluate the facts of your case so the proper diagnosis can be made. If you are given the wrong diagnosis, valuable treatment time may be wasted.

3. You Were Not Informed About Treatment

Whenever you undergo a medical procedure or treatment, you must be informed about what the treatment entails and you must be given the opportunity to consent. It is considered malpractice if your team fails to do this.

This is also true if you were not informed and asked to consent to treatment for your minor child or someone else you have legal responsibility for.

4. You Were Prescribed the Wrong Medication

Doctors must be careful and precise when prescribing medication. It is a medical error if your doctor prescribed you the wrong medication, directed you to take the wrong dosage, or gave you incorrect instructions about how to take the medication.

5. Your Surgeon Made a Mistake

Surgeons are among the most highly skilled of medical professionals, and it is vitally important that they take their work seriously. A surgeon should not make a mistake in the operating room. If a surgeon is distracted, mistakes like cutting in the wrong place or leaving something undone internally can be made. If this has happened to you, you are a victim of malpractice.

6. Your Loved One Died Due to a Medical Mistake

When the worst medical errors are made, people can lose their lives. If your loved one has died because of a mistake made by a medical professional, you can sue on that person’s behalf to get compensation for your family and to help bring about justice for the person whose life was lost too soon.

7. Your Doctor Did Not Provide the Proper Treatment

Your doctor may have provided the right diagnosis for your condition or illness but failed to provide the proper treatment. If you were not offered the right treatment for your condition, this is a medical mistake.

8. Your Child was Injured at Birth

Birth injuries sometimes occur because of a mistake by the medical team at the hospital. If your newborn suffers from cerebral palsy or another type of injury that occurred at birth, it could be because of medical neglect.

9. Medical Product Failure

Like other types of technology, medical products can fail. This includes products that are used in hospitals, doctor’s offices, and at home. The problem could be because the product is fundamentally flawed or because it was not properly used or maintained. If you were injured or suffered because a medical product did not work properly, you may be a victim of a medical mistake.

10. Delayed Cancer Diagnosis

The failure to properly and efficiently diagnose cancer is a serious issue because cancer can become untreatable if ignored for too long. If a medical professional fails to recognize a case of cancer, it can spread throughout the body and even lead to death.

If your cancer got worse while your doctor failed to diagnose it, that situation could be malpractice by a medical professional.

11. A Loved One Was Neglected in Care

When you place your loved one in a care facility, you expect them to be treated with the greatest care. It can be devastating to find out that the medical professionals who were supposed to be caring for your loved one have neglected that person.

Bedsores, unsanitary conditions, and a failure to treat illnesses are common signs of neglect in care. If your loved one has suffered while someone else was supposed to be providing medical care, that is a case of malpractice.

12. Improperly Administered Anesthesia

Anesthesia that is not properly administered can cause many different problems like a heart attack, stroke, or even brain damage. In some cases, death can occur. If there is a problem with the anesthesia during the surgery, it can lead to significant emotional trauma in the patient as well.

Anesthesiologists are medical professionals who are required to get all of the facts and ask questions before administering this powerful drug. When they make mistakes, that can be grounds for a malpractice lawsuit.

13. Failure to Prevent an Infection

Infections are common in hospitals, and it is up to the medical professionals at a hospital or medical care facility to protect patients from any infections that may be spread from one person to another. This is critical because infections can cause a patient’s original illness to get worse and can even lead to death.

The medical team must carefully control bacteria in the hospital setting to keep infections from spreading. If they fail to do this and patients contract infections, it is a serious medical mistake.

14. Errors in Dentistry

Dentists are another type of medical professional that can make mistakes leading to a malpractice situation. Infections can happen in a dental office when equipment is not kept properly clean and sanitized. Mistakes can also occur during dental surgery and other treatments. Dentists can also provide treatment that is not up to an adequate and appropriate standard of care.

If you believe you have been the victim of medical malpractice, it is important that you take immediate steps to resolve the situation. You could be entitled to significant compensation if your suffering was serious or you were injured or had an illness that became worse. You may have a limited time to file a claim, so you should act immediately.

Call us at Yonke Law as soon as possible if you think you may have a malpractice case. You don’t have to fight the doctors, hospitals, and insurance companies alone. Medical professionals have attorneys on their side, and you need a qualified personal injury attorney to fight for you as well. We will carefully evaluate your case and work hard to get you the compensation you deserve.

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