What Is Medical Negligence?

By Author: stephen webber
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Doctors, nurses, hospitals, and other medical professionals are all held to certain standards when administering care to patients. However, sometimes medical personnel may not pay enough attention to a patient when administering drugs, performing surgery, or providing care in other settings. This is called medical negligence or malpractice, and people are able to file a claim against members of the medical staff or hospital if they believe that they are a victim of medical malpractice. Medical malpractice comes in many different forms. If you believe you or a family member is a victim, consider the following situations in which medical negligence is often considered for compensation.

Improper diagnosis is often associated with medical negligence. This is because it can cause the patient severe harm if someone administers the wrong drugs to them, and it can delay the treatment that they would have otherwise received. However, improper diagnosis is only considered when it has caused injury and when any other doctor could have properly diagnosed the problem.

Drug errors are also commonly seen in medical negligence ...
... claims, as providing the wrong drugs or anesthetics to a patient can cause injury or potentially lead to death. Those held responsible in this situation often include the pharmacist, nurse, or anesthesiologist.

Another major situation seen in these cases is injuries during surgery that occur outside of the normal risks. For example, if a doctor's hands are not steady and an instrument slips and cuts an artery or other organ, it may end up causing the patient severe injury, making them stay in the hospital even longer. In this case, the patients often receive compensation.

Patients are also able to claim medical malpractice and receive financial compensation for their injuries if a doctor or other member of the medical staff provided less than adequate care that caused emotional or physical damage, temporary or permanent disability, scarring, or wrongful death. Patients or family members may also receive compensation for lost wages or other financial difficulties that they may experience during the time that they remain in the hospital after malpractice injuries. Family members or patients can also file claims against medical personnel for dental or cosmetic injuries.

It is very important that people remember that even if one of these situations were to take place, such as drug error, patients or family members can not file a medical negligence claim if the patient experienced no injuries. These cases are only valid when the professional provided less that adequate care where any other professional could have done better, and this does not include the normal risks of treatment.Stephen is a Partner and Head of the Medical Negligence Team at Hugh James. Stephen specialises in high value medical negligence cases. For more details on medical negligence solicitors and medical negligence claims than please visit our website.