Nobody expects to come out of surgery or a doctor’s office in worse health. You trust medical professionals to properly take care of your issues and always make the right decisions. They can perform miraculous feats fighting illnesses and diseases. But they also are human beings, prone to mistakes just like the rest of us.
When doctors and hospitals break that trust, the impact can be devastating to you or your loved ones. You deserve answers for failed or delayed diagnoses, surgical mistakes or medication errors. You also can hold accountable those responsible. But how do you determine whether those lapses were medical malpractice and who should pay?
Total system failure
A recent study by health safety experts at Johns Hopkins Medicine blamed flawed medical care for 10% of all U.S. fatalities. It ranks third behind heart disease and cancer among the leading causes of death. Preventable errors kill over 250,000 people per year.
But treating physicians are not the only ones who can commit medical malpractice. Specialists and nurses, anesthesiologists, pharmacists, emergency medical technicians and anyone involved in patient care can be liable. Victims might be able to hold these people liable, or their supervisors and employers might be responsible when the error is due to:
- Not vetting their workers’ medical credentials
- Negligent training
- Understaffing
- Not disciplining or dismissing problematic employees
Hospitals and clinics manage licensed health care providers. They have a duty, in general, to offer them suitable resources so you receive competent treatment at their facilities.
Know where to turn
No one should suffer more because of a misdiagnosis, botched surgery or post-operative errors. It can be a stressful process to build a case to determine whether malpractice caused your injuries or a loved one’s death.
You should be able to direct your energy to healing and recovery. But there are professionals with the resources and experts who can evaluate your claims and help you find the answers and relief you deserve.