Doctors, nurses and other Ohio medical team members are not miracle workers. You understand that. However, they are legally bound to adhere to all health and safety regulations and accepted standards of procedure when providing care or treatment to you for any type of medical concern. In layman’s terms, that means that, while doctors and medical workers aren’t perfect, if they deviate from what they’re supposed to do and you suffer injury or illness because of it, it might constitute medical malpractice.
Substandard care places lives at risk. If you, your spouse or your child need medical care, you can reasonably expect to receive the highest quality care available according to industry standards and state regulations. There’s always a risk when you or anyone receives medical care, especially if you’re having surgery, taking medication or undergoing an outpatient procedure. Medical negligence should never be the reason you fall ill or suffer injury.
What exactly is a medical injury?
Saying your doctor or someone else on your medical team was negligent is one thing. If you can’t show evidence that negligence resulted in damages, then you likely can’t legally define the incident as medical negligence.
Common causes of medical injury
If you experience certain circumstances or issues during the course of your medical treatment, you may be at greater risk for injury than you might have been if the issue or problem had not arisen. Issues that often result in medical injuries include failure to diagnose properly, wrong-site, wrong-patient or wrong-procedure surgeries, failure to order a specific test, premature discharge from the hospital and medication errors.
Other serious problems related to hospital care
What if there’s a fire while you’re in the hospital? What if your loved one has threatened suicide and staff workers aware of the situation fail to provide proper supervision? These and many other issues are definitely cause for concern. If you worry that your family member isn’t receiving quality care, you can bring the matter to the attention of the administration.
After injury
You can’t undo an injury. Many Ohio medical negligence victims experience post-injury consequences for the rest of their lives, such as babies born with cerebral palsy or people diagnosed with terminal illness. When such conditions were preventable, those involved often seek financial recovery for their losses through the civil justice system.