People in general place considerable
trust in the proficiency of doctors as well as hospitals, and would like to
feel that they are in safe hands.
Diagnosis
and Treatment
For the most part, doctors and
healthcare providers pursue some steps to make a correct diagnosis of an
ailment, injury, or condition. With this information the healthcare
professional plans and puts into practice a specific course of treatment. Even
if the professional’s diagnosis happens to be correct, errors can occur at the
time of the treatment phase.
To decide on the most favorable kind of
treatment, a doctor ought to depend on his/her training, experience, the latest
in medical literature as well as protocol, and at times consult with other
doctors. If the doctor fails to do so, it can lead to a treatment error. Chicago, IL medical malpractice lawyers have
confronted this issue many times.
Errors
and poor outcomes
Such treatments are in the nature of
real errors, and not merely the failure of a patient to respond to a given
procedure or treatment. However, in case the most skilled doctors would have
pursued the same medical treatment, with the same unsatisfactory outcomes, then
it cannot be considered medical malpractice or hospital
neglect.
On the contrary, should the doctor
administer treatment to his/her patient in a manner that varies significantly
from the treatment modes of other skilled doctors, with the same poor outcomes,
the patient has indeed a claim, according to Illinois medical malpractice
attorneys. Besides, the flawed treatment should have caused actual damage or
injury to his/her patient.
It can also be deemed medical
malpractice or hospital neglect if a
doctor chooses the appropriate treatment, and makes an error in administering
that treatment. Such an event can occur at the time of surgery or procedures.
Surgical
errors
Surgical procedures include some measure
of complication or risk, but mistakes can aggravate these risks. Mistakes at
the time of surgical procedures include factors such as anesthesiology errors,
wrong-patient errors, wrong-site errors, nerve damage, faulty incisions, and
leaving objects like surgical sponges within a patient while sewing an
incision. Complications of a post-surgical treatment nature can include
infected incisions, blood clots, as well as pneumonia.
Errors
can occur during surgery by the following factors:
- Insufficient preoperative planning
- Lack of communication before, during as well as after surgery
- A surgeon/assistant under fatigue, or influenced by alcohol or drugs
- Ignoring basic tasks like sterilizing equipment properly
- Plain incompetence
Failure
to warn is malpractice
It is the duty of all doctors to warn
their patients about the risks underlying a specific course of procedure or
treatment. This is termed the “duty of informed consent” and Chicago, IL
medical malpractice lawyers have filed lawsuits many times based on this aspect
as well. If any patient happens to be injured by a procedure or treatment, and
the attending doctor failed to warn the patient of this potential outcome, then
the doctor can be held liable for medical malpractice.
The issues related to errors in
procedure or treatment by healthcare professionals tend to be very complicated.
Besides, the facts concerning every case, as well as the prevailing laws in every
state, can vary. Under the circumstances, your only recourse is to hire a
resolute and committed Chicago medical malpractice lawyer immediately.
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