Fact Sheet about Medical Malpractice: Hurt While Receiving Medical Care
Public Citizen is a non-profit organization dedicated to protecting consumers by serving as a Congressional watchdog. The group prepares reports for the public’s consumption about various issues, including a report entitled The Facts About Medical Malpractice in Pennsylvania. The report notes that:
- Many cases of medical errors are not pursued by victim patients. A study by Harvard Medical Practice found that on average only 1 out of 7.6 medical errors were legally pursued as acts of medical malpractice or medical negligence.
- It is estimated that somewhere between 1,920 and 4,277 deaths in Pennsylvania hospitals each year are attributable to medical malpractice, such as preventable medical errors.
- It is estimated that 75,000 hospital patients in the United States die each year due to preventable hospital acquired infections, and that patients acquire these infections due to unsanitary facilities and instruments, unwashed hands, and the failure of medical staff to adhere to appropriate protocol.
Medical Malpractice Incidents
Injuries from medical malpractice or medical negligence can happen to anyone who is obtaining medical care, and they can happen to residents of West Chester. With the number of medical care facilities in West Chester, a medical malpractice claim is unfortunately bound to happen – it’s only a matter of when.
Most Common Types of Injuries Caused By Medical Malpractice
Medical malpractice claims can arise in any medical care situation, including but not limited to hospitals, surgery, emergency room care and senior living care and can be caused by the actions or negligence of physicians, nurses, midwives, and other hospital or nursing home staff members. Some of the most common causes of medical malpractice claims include:
Injuries During Pregnancy
Negligent prenatal care causes harm to the baby and mother if there is an undiagnosed condition in the mother. Failure to diagnosis conditions in the mother, such as preeclampsia, an STD, or ectopic pregnancies, can all result in injuries during birth.
Injuries During Childbirth
Both the mother and the child can be injured during a difficult birth. Babies can suffer broken bones, contusions, nerve or spinal cord damage, or brain injuries. The mother could suffer injuries if a cesarean section is necessary, but not ordered by the doctor.
Injuries Due to Delayed or Misdiagnosis
If a physician fails to diagnose a condition or illness, or misdiagnoses a serious condition as something less severe, the delay in getting the patient the appropriate treatment can make the illness or injury from the condition worse.
Injuries Associated With Receiving Incorrect Treatment
Some medical negligence is attributable to a mix up regarding patient information, and a patient could end up receiving treatment or a surgery meant for a different patient.
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There is no reason you should bear the financial burden of your injuries when those injuries are caused by another’s carelessness. Contact Cohen, Placitella & Roth, P.C. at 888-818-2562 to handle your personal injury case today.
Investigating Medical Malpractice Cases Requires Resources
Gathering up the evidence to support a medical malpractice claim is quite the endeavour. Medical examinations need to be conducted, tests run, medical records collected, witnesses interviewed, financial impact calculations conducted, and the list goes on. A team of experienced West Chester medical malpractice lawyers with financial resources, years of experience and legal knowhow will be able to help you safeguard your rights and get you the financial compensation you need for your injuries. Cohen, Placitella & Roth PC is a seasoned law firm with more than 40 years of experience handling client’s medical malpractice claims.
Your medical malpractice claim investigation will involve establishing evidence of four legal elements. As an initial matter, it must be shown that a doctor-patient relationship existed between you and the medical care provider that caused your injury. This means that a duty of care must shown, i.e., that the medical care provider had a standard of care that he or she was supposed to provide to you, the patient, and yet failed to do so. Evidence of this failure to adhere to the standard of care is key in a medical malpractice case. Finally, you must show evidence that you have suffered damages, i.e., additional medical expenses, loss of job or time off from work, etc., as a direct result of your injury.
The types of evidence that are most useful in a medical malpractice case include medical records, medical reports, test results, diagnoses, prognoses, medical scans such as x-rays, CAT scans, MRIs, etc., witness testimony, expert opinions, and photographic evidence of the injury, if possible. All these tests and exams can be costly, and that is why you need a law firm, like Cohen, Placitella & Roth PC, that has the financial resources it takes to thoroughly investigate your case.
No one is protected from medical negligence and some residents of West Chester will be the victim of medical malpractice, as medical negligence can result from accidents, miscommunications, inattentiveness, and lack of oversight. Cohen, Placitella & Roth, PC is dedicated to helping our clients recover the compensation that they deserve for their medical negligence injuries.
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