If you are injured in the course of receiving the medical care that you need, it can leave you far worse off than you were prior to seeking medical attention in the first place and can make recovering far more challenging. Medical malpractice cases tend to be exceptionally complex, but obtaining just compensation is crucial if you hope to recover fully.
Consulting with a Plantation, Florida medical malpractice attorney early in the process is one of the most important first steps you can take. Reach out to Scarfone Auto Accident and Personal Injury Attorneys to begin your medical malpractice claim or lawsuit.
Medical Malpractice in the State of Florida
In Florida, medical malpractice refers to when negligence on the part of any of the following care providers causes you to be injured in the course of your treatment:
- Your doctor’s office
- An inpatient care facility
- A hospital
- A medical clinic
- Your pharmacy
Not obtaining the outcome you seek or expect is not the same as medical malpractice. Instead, the medical professional or entity must have been negligent in its duties. Negligence in this medical context refers to failing to provide you with the same standard of care that other medical professionals in the same field would provide under similar circumstances.
In other words, if your doctor deviates from the prevailing professional protocols for treating someone in your condition and harms you in the process, it could be medical malpractice.
Common Forms of Medical Malpractice
Every medical malpractice case is unique, but many fall into primary claim classifications.
Inaccurate medical history
If your medical provider in Florida fails to obtain a thorough and accurate medical history, it leaves you far more vulnerable to being harmed in your treatment process. Medical facilities are required to have comprehensive protocols in place that help to ensure medical professionals have the information they need to provide beneficial health care.
Failure to diagnose
If your doctor has tunnel vision regarding your condition or simply fails to take the time and care necessary to provide you with an accurate diagnosis, they delay the treatment you need, providing your affliction with the time it requires to become more serious and more difficult to effectively treat.
Because positive health outcomes are so closely associated with prompt diagnosis, a failure to diagnose can lead to serious losses in terms of your health and well-being.
Surgical errors
Surgical errors can be especially egregious. In fact, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) reports on surgical errors that should never happen but do. These never events refer to not only shocking medical errors, such as performing surgery on the wrong side of the body – but also to events for which the following apply:
- The event is unambiguous, which means that it can be clearly identified and quantified.
- The event is serious, which means that it leads to either significant disability or death.
- The event was likely preventable.
Surgical never events are grouped into the following categories:
- Unintentionally leaving a foreign object in the patient during surgery or another form of invasive treatment
- Performing surgery or another form of invasive treatment on the wrong body part
- Performing surgery or another form of invasive treatment on the wrong patient
- Performing the wrong surgery or other invasive treatment on the patient
While not every surgical error reaches the level of a never event, they can all prove dangerous. A prime example is a recommendation for an unnecessary surgery that does nothing to improve your health condition but that causes you to endure surgery, which can have dangerous side effects.
Incorrect lab results
If your medical provider fails to read your lab results properly, fails to implement the information adequately, mixes your results up with those of another patient, or fails to share the findings therein with you, it can amount to medical malpractice.
The wrong medications
Taking the wrong medicine can have seriously adverse effects on your health and recovery, and as a result any of the following can rise to the level of medical malpractice:
- Prescribing the wrong medication
- Prescribing the wrong dosage of the correct medication
- Dispensing the wrong medication at the pharmacy
Often, losses caused by the wrong prescription are the result of failing to take a complete medical history or failing to accurately factor in contraindications.
Inadequate aftercare
There is more to providing medical care than treating patients and sending them on their way. Aftercare is critical to favorable health outcomes for its ability to alert medical professionals to any healthcare concerns that need to be evaluated in terms of the patient’s ability to heal.
Recovering Losses From Medical Malpractice
In order to regain your health and well-being after being harmed by medical malpractice, it is necessary to clearly identify your covered losses in their entirety, and for that, having a trusted Plantation medical malpractice lawyer in your corner can help.
Medical expenses
If medical malpractice leaves you harmed, the related expenses can be steep, and they may be ongoing. If your injuries lead to complications or secondary concerns, you can expect even more substantial losses.
Lost wages
A medical malpractice incident can lay you low, and in the process, you may be off the job. Your lost earnings can be especially challenging in the face of cascading medical bills, and if your overall earning capacity has been affected, they can be more so.
Pain and suffering
The emotional pain and suffering associated with being injured by the medical professional you turned to for the treatment and care you need can be very difficult to overcome.
Consult With a Plantation Medical Malpractice Lawyer Today
At Scarfone Auto Accident and Personal Injury Attorneys in Plantation, Florida, we have a capable founder in Rocco Scarfone who recognizes the immense gravity of your losses and is committed to skillfully advocating for the compensation you’re entitled to.
Your medical malpractice claim is important, so don’t delay picking up the phone and calling Scarfone at 561-609-1200. You can also contact us online for more information today.