When Should You Consider Filing a Medical Malpractice Lawsuit?

You have the right to file a medical malpractice lawsuit if you have suffered harm as a result of a healthcare provider’s negligence. Normally, this has to be a deviation from the accepted standard of care, and this deviation has to directly cause you an injury or materially contribute to it. Malpractice is one of the harder types of personal injury to successfully claim, and it’s always wise to work with an experienced Columbus, OH attorney.

When to Consider a Medical Malpractice Lawsuit in Columbus, OH

Signs of Potential Negligence

It might be time to consider a lawsuit, or at least talk to a lawyer, if you notice your doctor consistently failing to recognize or respond to symptoms, so your treatment is delayed or you’re getting incorrect treatment. If a healthcare provider is ignoring test results or is not ordering the right diagnostics before coming up with the treatment, this is also a problem.Bear in mind that just because you’re getting worse under a particular healthcare provider’s treatment does not in itself mean there has been malpractice. It’s possible that the condition you have simply has a downward trajectory, or it’s taking more time to recover from than you might like. Additionally, a doctor may just not be very intuitive but still not be committing any malpractice.

Common Malpractice Scenarios

Diagnosis-Related Errors

In this scenario, a healthcare provider doesn’t properly diagnose a condition, misdiagnoses it, or takes so long to come to a diagnosis that an illness progresses unchecked.

Surgery Negligence

Malpractice also happens when there are delays in performing necessary surgery, improper surgical techniques are used on a patient, or outright errors are made during the procedure. Examples include operating on the wrong site, leaving instruments inside the patient, or failing to manage postoperative complications adequately.

Treatment Error

This is the largest category of claims and happens when healthcare providers fail to treat conditions appropriately, use improper treatment methods, or delay providing care. This could include something like taking an infection seriously or mismanaging a chronic condition like diabetes.

Medication Issues

Prescribing the wrong medication, prescribing the right medicine but the wrong dosage, or failing to account for drug interactions or allergies that should have been known can all be malpractice.

Obstetrics and Birth

When healthcare providers don’t follow the standard of care during high-stakes breech births, delay necessary cesarean sections, or fail to monitor fetal distress, the mother or the infant (or both) can suffer serious injuries.

Assessing Causation and Talking With a Malpractice Lawyer

There has to be a clear link between the provider’s negligent actions and the resulting harm you’ve suffered, such as a physical injury, emotional distress, or financial losses from additional treatments. This can be tricky to prove, so if you suspect that minimal standards of care have not been met, your first step should be to talk with an experienced attorney. Call Barkan Meizlish DeRose Cox, LLP in Columbus, OH at 740-204-2125 now to set up a free consultation. You can reach our Pittsburgh office at 412-330-1821.

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