We always hope for positive interactions with our doctors and medical providers, but sometimes our experiences fall below our expectations. Although having an unpleasant or negative encounter may not always mean medical malpractice has occurred, there are several common types of medical malpractice you should be aware of.
Medical malpractice happens when the care you receive doctors or medical professionals falls below the accepted standard of care and cause you injury.
Misdiagnoses and delayed diagnoses
Misdiagnoses or delayed diagnoses are one of the most common forms of medical malpractice. Misdiagnoses happen when a doctor fails to correctly identify your symptoms and diagnoses you with something else or with nothing at all.
This can result in unnecessary treatment that causes you harm. A delayed diagnosis involves a correct diagnosis that comes too late. By the time you receive your diagnosis it might be too late to properly treat you and your condition may have deteriorated.
Prescription drug errors
Prescription drug errors are a serious form of medical malpractice. If you receive the wrong prescription drug, you could suffer an allergic reaction or harm if the drug interacts with another drug you are taking.
A prescription drug error can be more than prescribing the wrong medication. A doctor could prescribe you too little or too much of a drug or fail to review your medical records to check for other drugs you are taking, allergies or a history of addiction.
Failure to treat
Failure to treat is exactly what it sounds like: you visit a doctor because you are having a medical issue and the doctor fails to treat you.
This form of medical malpractice takes many forms. Discharging you too early from a hospital, failing to order tests or not giving you proper information and instructions for follow-up care are all examples of failure to treat.
It is not always easy to determine if you are a victim of medical malpractice. Knowing the signs and types can help you decide if you need to act.
