When you visit a doctor, you expect a highly trained expert to listen to your symptoms, investigate further if needed through examination and make an accurate diagnosis. Unfortunately, this situation can go wrong. Medical malpractice is defined as any negligence on the part of a doctor, surgeon or other health care professional that results in injury or death. Over 98,000 patients die in hospitals every year due to medical malpractice, nationwide. In New York, the numbers are just as great.
Many people fail to report medical malpractice, while others die from it without the cause ever being discovered, so the actual statistics are skewed. In fact, Federal estimates state that more than half of patients who have suffered medical malpractice never come forward about it. This is partly due to fear and partly due to not understanding what constitutes medical malpractice.
There are quite a few things that can constitute medical malpractice. Any form of negligence, no matter how small, on the part of a doctor or medical professional can have severe repercussions on your health. For instance, if the doctor fails to read all of your medical history, it is possible that he or she can prescribe medication that will react with other medication that you are taking, inflame or worsen an already existent medical condition or even result in death due to many reasons.
If a surgeon is not familiar with your medical condition, or simply not paying enough attention, many things can go wrong. A woman having a mastectomy surgery woke up to find that the wrong breast had been removed, while another patient went to the doctor after months of pain after surgery; x-rays showed that a bone saw had been left inside the patient, causing further damage and incredible pain.
While these cases may sound farfetched, they are actual medical cases and do not even represent the most extreme of those. If you feel that you have been injured, or have lost a loved one due to medical malpractice, finding a skilled attorney to handle your claims is vital to your wellbeing. Also, this is the only way in which you can find the information necessary for your case. For instance, in the state of New York, a victim of malpractice has 2 years and 6 months to file a claim, but that time frame only applies to certain types of medical malpractice. A skilled NY medical malpractice lawyer can help you and your family make sense of these laws and begin to seek compensation for damages suffered.
Whether you have been prescribed a medication that harmed you, were misdiagnosed by a doctor or had a surgeon that was negligent, you are entitled to compensation. Do not let fear or confusion hold you back from what is legally and rightfully yours. Without patients coming forward about medical malpractice, the proper sanctions cannot be taken against negligent healthcare providers, resulting in even greater numbers of injured patients and deaths at the hands of negligent doctors.
Tags: statistics, many things, repercussions, medication, x rays, hospitals, health care, medical history, medical malpractice, negligence, medical condition, accurate diagnosis, breast, medical professional, mastectomy