When you go to see a doctor, nurse, surgeon, or other medical professional, it is reasonable to assume that they will provide high-quality care and look out for your best interests. Unfortunately, sometimes physicians and other healthcare professionals make mistakes that can have life-altering and even deadly consequences for you. This is where a knowledgeable personal injury attorney comes in.
If a medical error caused you to suffer serious health consequences, you could be eligible for financial compensation. A Bellaire medical malpractice lawyer could help you determine what steps you should take to protect your legal rights.
What Constitutes Medical Malpractice in Bellaire?
Like everyone else, sometimes healthcare professionals make mistakes. But not every medical error reaches the level of actionable malpractice. Medical workers need to exercise a certain standard of care and only those mistakes that fall below the standard of care amount to malpractice. Essentially, healthcare workers need to exercise the same care that other medical workers, with similar training and backgrounds, and in the same geographic area, would exercise when faced with a similar situation.
For instance, a court might excuse a small-town pediatrician for misdiagnosing a patient by not recognizing a rare disease. On the other hand, a Bellaire court will likely find a surgeon who operates on the wrong leg to be liable because a reasonable surgical team should have protocols to ensure that mistakes like that do not happen.
When is a Poor Health Outcome Not Considered Malpractice?
Not every bad health outcome amounts to malpractice. Sadly, some illnesses cannot be cured, even with the most advanced care. Certain patients do not get better no matter how much treatment they receive. Just because a patient becomes sicker or even dies does not mean that their physician is legally responsible, since it is possible that their doctor did not do anything wrong.
A compassionate Bellaire lawyer could investigate a medical mistake to see if the error could be labeled malpractice. This requires carefully reviewing the patient’s medical record and looking into the circumstances of the error – such as if it occurred during an emergency. They could potentially consult with medical experts in the geographic area to learn about the local standard of care.
Common Mistakes Made by Medical Professionals
An injured patient can pursue a malpractice suit against any medical professional, such as family practitioners, surgeons, obstetricians, anesthesiologists, pharmacists, hospitals, nurses, EMTs, radiologists, and nursing homes. The following types of errors are the most common examples of medical malpractice:
- Anesthesia mistakes
- Surgical errors
- Drug mistakes, such as giving the wrong medication or the wrong dosage
- Missed or delayed diagnoses
- Birth injuries
Bellaire medical malpractice attorneys have had success helping patients who have suffered injuries due to a wide variety of medical errors. They work aggressively and diligently to help injured patients obtain the compensation that could make a difference in their recovery.
Get in Touch with a Bellaire Medical Malpractice Attorney Today
Malpractice cases are complicated because they require a detailed understanding of medicine and the law. If you believe that a doctor or other medical professional’s mistake caused or exacerbated your illness, you should not try to handle the legal matter by yourself. An experienced Bellaire medical malpractice lawyer could handle your legal case while allowing you the time to focus on healing from your medical trauma. Reach out to our legal team today by taking advantage of our free consultations.
