Medical professionals and healthcare providers play an important role in the lives of people in Upper Darby. They not only offer preventive care but also provide treatment when medically required. People put their faith and trust in these dedicated professionals to make the correct decisions and diagnoses. When a doctor or another healthcare provider is careless or negligent, they could be guilty of medical malpractice.
When medical treatment causes harm instead of healing, a patient is liable to experience adverse complications or death. Our Upper Darby medical malpractice lawyers are committed to holding doctors and other healthcare providers accountable when they make grievous errors. If you believe you were the victim of medical malpractice, contact the Reiff Law Firm at (215) 709-6940 to schedule a free consultation.
What is Medical Malpractice in Upper Darby?
Just because a doctor chose a treatment that was unsuccessful or your medical condition failed to improve does not mean you were the victim of medical malpractice. Even an error on the part of your doctor might not constitute medical malpractice.
To establish medical malpractice in Upper Darby, our experienced attorney would have to prove two critical elements to show that your doctor or another medical professional acted negligently.
First, our office will have to show that there was a breach of the standard of care you received. A breach of the standard of care means that your doctor failed to use reasonable judgment in their treatment or their conduct otherwise deviated from the acceptable standard of medical care for their profession. The standard of care differs between medical professions. For example, a nurse will be held to a different standard than an obstetrician.
Establishing a breach of care is often the most challenging part of a medical malpractice lawsuit. Our Upper Darby medical malpractice attorneys and staff will work with medical experts and thoroughly review your medical records to try to prove your doctor’s choices did not conform with what a prudent and similarly trained professional would have done under the same circumstances.
Next, the breach must have resulted in actual harm. If your doctor made an error, but there were no ill effects, then you do not have the basis for a medical malpractice claim. To prevail in a lawsuit and hold a medical professional liable for their conduct, their actions must have resulted in either physical harm or financial losses. If you experienced any adverse medical complications due to the negligence of your doctor, nurse, or hospital, you likely suffered some injury. Our office will review the existing evidence to determine if the harm was significant enough to file a medical malpractice claim.
Examples of Medical Malpractice in Upper Darby
The idea of a legal standard of care might not make much sense. What constitutes a mere error, and what reaches the level of medical malpractice might not be that clear. As a rule, a medical professional is supposed to keep their patients healthy and safe. Unfortunately, not every medical outcome is favorable. When negative consequences occur because of a doctor or other healthcare provider’s negligence, they should be held accountable for the injuries they cause.
Many common errors could constitute medical malpractice. For example, not every medical condition is easily diagnosed. However, when a doctor misdiagnoses or fails to diagnose a serious illness, such as cancer, a patient will not get the treatment they require.
One of the biggest problems patients face in post-operative care is the risk of infections. When nurses or doctors are inattentive or ignore signs that a patient is experiencing symptoms of an infection, the consequences could be fatal.
Medication is a powerful tool at a doctor’s disposal. A doctor will prescribe medication to alleviate pain, address chronic illness, or treat a severe medical condition. When medication is prescribed incorrectly or the wrong dosage is administered, a patient might experience devastating consequences.
Another category of medical malpractice cases revolves around birth injuries. Because of a doctor or other medical professional’s negligent conduct, a joyous event could quickly turn tragic. When a doctor makes an inexcusable mistake during a difficult delivery, a child’s entire life could be negatively impacted.
Damages Available in an Upper Darby Medical Malpractice Lawsuit
If you were the victim of medical malpractice, you are entitled to seek compensation for your damages through a personal injury lawsuit. But what are damages? Legally, damages is a term used to describe the harm or losses you suffered because of an injury. Damages will vary widely depending on the nature of the harm you suffered.
In medical malpractice cases, a person often suffers physical injuries. If a surgical sponge is left inside a person, they could experience a life-threatening infection and require additional surgeries, including a painful recovery period.
In addition to the physical suffering, a medical malpractice victim will incur financial losses. Some of these losses are obvious, such as medical expenses and the cost of medication. However, depending on the severity of the harm, a victim could miss work for weeks or months. In some cases, they might not be able to work again. Lost income and the income that would have been earned could be recovered in a medical malpractice lawsuit.
Call Our Upper Darby Medical Malpractice Lawyer to Schedule a Free Consultation
Our Upper Darby medical malpractice lawyers at the Reiff Law Firm have helped victims of medical malpractice for decades. Our attorneys and staff provide professional and aggressive representation to those who have suffered because of a medical professional’s negligence. If you or a loved one was the victim of medical malpractice, call (215) 709-6940 to schedule a free appointment and review the facts of your case.
