Free Consultations 24/7
Home > Blog > 5 Common Causes...
When a patient suffers a serious injury or illness after being treated by a doctor or other healthcare professional, they often have two burning questions on their mind: When will I get better, and how could this have happened?
The answer to the first question can be difficult to determine and varies from patient to patient, while the answer to the second question is often a matter of narrowing down a few potential causes.
In our 90+ years of helping injured victims, we’ve become adept at quickly and accurately determining why some patients’ health worsens after treatment—especially when it was the result of negligent care.
Some patients experience a severe worsening of health and even die when their healthcare providers fail to exam them thoroughly enough to provide an accurate diagnosis. When patients complain of certain symptoms and complications, their doctors should do everything in their power to find out what’s causing those symptoms, including ordering blood tests, performing x-rays, and ordering CT scans and MRIs, if necessary.
Surgical errors make up a large percentage of medical malpractice claims, and for good reason. Every surgery carries risks, including death. Surgeons can reduce patient risks by being extremely careful, meticulous, and following all precautions. But they can also seriously injure patients when they rush through a procedure, don’t steady their hand, or leave surgical instruments and items inside patients’ bodies.
A thorough examination isn’t always enough to improve a patient’s odds of making a full recovery or at least ease their symptoms. Doctors must also consider their medical history, including which medications they’re currently taking, and whether a new prescription will interact badly with them. Having this information on hand when diagnosing a patient or coming up with a treatment plan is vital for success, but it isn’t always considered by doctors—especially when they are rushing to see many patients in a single day.
Prescription medications have the potential to dramatically improve the health and wellbeing of the patients who take them. But they also have the potential to seriously sicken them or cause them to suffer life-threatening complications. The key for doctors is to prescribe the right medications and at the proper dosages to treat patients without causing excessive side effects. Unfortunately, not all doctors take the time to prescribe medications safely. In other cases, medication-related injuries are caused by pharmacy errors.
Medicine is one of the most demanding professions. Both doctors and surgeons must focus for long periods, and they must be able to quickly recall enormous amounts of information to make proper diagnoses and decisions. When healthcare providers are impaired in any way, whether it’s from alcohol consumption, drug usage, or even sleep deprivation, their patients’ health may suffer unnecessarily. In some cases, hospitals and other healthcare facilities can be held liable when providers are overworked and fatigued to the point of making preventable mistakes.
Although the five reasons for medical malpractice listed above explain many cases, there are other potential causes of preventable health problems and injuries at the hands of doctors, surgeons, and other providers. As Ohio medical malpractice lawyers, it’s our job to investigate cases when injured patients contact us. We collect evidence that proves patients were harmed by medical professionals they should have been able to trust, and then we find out exactly who is liable and how they were negligent.
If you suspect that you or someone you love is the victim of medical malpractice, we want to hear from you. Our legal team has the experience and track record of success you need on your side to get maximum compensation for your injury or illness caused by a careless provider. Contact Nurenberg, Paris, Heller & McCarthy today for a free consultation.
Dec
04, 2023
Losing a loved one is never easy, and when the loss is caused by someone else’s negligence or intentional act, it can be even more devastating. In Ohio, families have legal options to seek compensation for their loved one’s death through wrongful death and survival action claims. While these two types of claims may […]
While participating in sports can have many benefits, it’s important for participants to recognize potential risks, including serious injuries. It’s also crucial to know that such injuries may be caused by negligence and, thus, involve legal liability. So, why does liability matter when it comes to sports injuries? Sports-related injuries can be incredibly expensive, resulting […]
Workplace injuries can make it hard to support yourself and your family. And for most Ohioans, this is a reality, especially for those in dangerous occupations. But did you know the concept of workers’ compensation was born from a 19th-century labor movement? The original purpose was to protect workers like you from injuries and accidents […]
Yes, Ohio nursing homes are required by law to conduct background checks on their employees. According to Section 3721.121 of the Ohio Revised Code, ”the chief administrator of a home or adult day-care program shall request that the superintendent of the bureau of criminal identification and investigation conduct a criminal records check of each applicant.” […]
Nov
27, 2023
When many people think of car accident-related injuries, whiplash often comes to mind first. The Mayo Clinic defines whiplash as “a neck injury due to forceful, rapid back-and-forth movement of the neck, like the cracking of a whip.” It also states that whiplash is commonly caused by rear-end car accidents, and that while it heals […]
