Medical malpractice, though somewhat uncommon, can be devastating. After all, we trust health professionals to provide us with accurate information to help us remain healthy and do the activities we enjoy. Unfortunately, as many Las Vegas personal injury attorneys have seen first-hand, the results of medical malpractice can range from minor to horrible. Here are ten signs that you are possibly the victim of malpractice.
1. A Post-Surgical Issue – While some complications are known risks from surgery, not all risks are known complications or occur without a medical professional falling below the standard of care.
2. Nursing Home Injuries – If a loved one in a nursing home has unexplained bruising or other signs of injury, there could potentially be either malpractice, abuse, or both at work.
3. Your Monitoring Systems Didn’t Work – Hospitals rely on several monitoring systems, typically equipped with alarms, to ensure that they are aware of all patients’ vitals. These devices can malfunction or simply not work at all. If you had a health issue that could have been prevented if a device had worked, there is a chance you could have a medical malpractice claim.
4. Anesthesia Problems – One of the reasons that surgery costs are so hefty is that someone extensively trained in anesthesiology must be present for the procedure. This professional’s job is to educate you on when you must stop eating and drinking beforehand, when it is safe to perform certain activities, properly monitor you, or even make sure the doctor does not administer an agent to which they should have known you were allergic. Though there are sometimes unpreventable issues regarding anesthesia, many of them end up being the result of medical malpractice.
5. Drug Interactions – Now that every state in the country utilizes the Prescription Monitoring Program for at least controlled substances, and records are kept almost solely electronically, there’s little reason that a pharmacist and a doctor wouldn’t have access to the list of medications you take. However, these professionals can get overwhelmed and write prescriptions for drugs that have known interaction risks. If you were prescribed something that interacted with another drug you were lawfully taking under a physician’s care, a Las Vegas personal injury attorney could help you figure out whether you have a malpractice claim.
6. Significantly Delayed Treatment – Nobody likes going to the ER, in part because of the typical waiting time for patients. The extensive wait time is mostly due to the triage process, where people with the most significant injuries or other medical problems are seen first. Suppose you were improperly triaged or left for hours on end, resulting in a complication that could have been prevented. In that case, your Las Vegas injury attorney can help identify whether there was potentially medical malpractice involved.
7. A Bad Diagnosis – It can be challenging for a professional to diagnose a disorder accurately. However, there are specific processes of elimination that providers generally utilize to ensure that they do not end up diagnosing you with something you don’t have. Of course, there is also the possibility that you could have been not diagnosed with a condition you did have. If your Las Vegas personal injury lawyer can show that your doctor did not exercise due discretion in issuing or not issuing a diagnosis, this could be grounds for a medical malpractice suit.
8. Staffing Problems – One of the least-detected signs of medical malpractice is that a professional who is not qualified to treat you is assigned to do so. For example, many ERs operate using doctors with many different specialties and staff members who may have some training but are not doctors. Many procedures, diagnoses, and prescriptions may only be issued by people who possess certain credentials. If you experienced a problem and your legal team determines that it was because the individual treating you was not qualified, you could have a case.
9. A Birth Injury – Harm to a mother giving birth or the child being born can sometimes be due to circumstances out of anyone’s control. However, part of the United States’ surprisingly high infant mortality rate is due to medical malpractice. For example, failure to perform a C-section when one is needed is commonly cited as medical malpractice. Countless other injuries could potentially be a result of it, as well.
10. Failure to Warn of Risks – Of course, every medical procedure has its share of risks, some with far more risk than others. This is why patients usually sign an “informed consent” form, indicating that their provider has discussed the risks with them, and the patient is willing to take those risks. If you were not warned of risks beforehand and suffer due to it, you could be a medical malpractice victim.
Read more about Common Types of Medical Malpractice and Their Causes
How The Schnitzer Firm Can Help
First, The Schnitzer Law Firm can assess your case without any obligation to continue further and advise whether you could have a medical malpractice suit potentially. Second, the firm can use its extensive experience in helping victims of medical malpractice to help you get the compensation you rightfully deserve for your suffering.
There’s no harm in just contacting The Schnitzer Firm to schedule your initial consultation today. Call 702-960-4050, email Contact@TheSchnitzerLawFirm.com, or fill out our contact form to get started.