When reading and learning about the topic of medical malpractice, the terms “medical professionals” and “healthcare providers” are often used. When people hear about medical malpractice, they are often quick to assume that this applies to a doctor or a surgeon, when—in reality—there are many other types of relationships in which these types of lawsuits can arise. The first thing to understand is that in order to have a medical malpractice lawsuit, there must have been a relationship between the medical professional and the patient. This could come from a variety of different types of medical professionals; not necessarily a surgeon or physician.
The best way to break down the different types of healthcare providers that can be sued in these types of cases is to first explore the variety of possible cases.
Misdiagnosis, Delayed-Diagnosis, and Failure to Diagnose
One of the most common types of medial negligence comes in the form of diagnosis, or lack there of. If a doctor fails to correctly diagnose a patient due to some type of negligence, this may be ground for a medical malpractice lawsuit. However, not every misdiagnosis is due to negligence. This is where you must begin to question the standard of care. [LINK TO PAGE]
Common forms of misdiagnoses include, but are not limited to, the following:
- Heart attacks
- Lymph node problems
- Asthma
- Cancer
- Stroke
Surgical Errors
This is the form of medical malpractice that most people think of when they hear the term. Some common forms of surgical errors due to a surgeon’s negligence include but are not limited to:
- Wrong site surgery
- Wrong patient surgery
- Nerve or tissue damage
- Unsanitary equipment or surgical space
Prescription Drug Malpractice
This type of malpractice can occur when a healthcare provider prescribes you the wrong type of medication. This may be a result of mixing up patients, misdiagnosing, or even just lack of care when writing the actual prescription. These types of cases can also occur with a pharmacist. If they mislabel the drugs or give you the wrong drugs, this could result in serious injury or illness. If this is due to their negligence or a breach of the medical standard of care, they may be eligible to be sued for prescription drug malpractice, a form of medical negligence. With all of this being said, anyone who is involved in the process of prescribing the drugs may be liable for this type of malpractice.
Other prescription complications that can be considered negligent include:
- Prescribing a drug that a patient is allergic to
- Prescribing a drug that cannot interact with other drugs that the patient is taking
- Failing to warn the patient of the side effects of the medication
Confidentiality Breaches
Breaches of confidentiality are a form of medical malpractice that people do not often think of, but frequently occur. Depending on the state that you live in and the type of doctor that you are seeing, there are certain codes of conduct when it comes to confidentiality. You put trust in this medical professional that these codes will not be broken. However, when these types of instances do occur, there may be negative consequences. The patient can be injured, fall ill, or develop some sort of mental anguish.
The aforementioned types of medical malpractice are not the only forms. In fact, they only begin to touch the surface of what can be considered medical malpractice. With this knowledge, we can better understand the types of medical professionals that can be sued for medical malpractice—any doctor or healthcare provider that has a relationship with the patient. This can even include psychologists, psychiatrist, dermatologists, dentists, and physical therapists.
If you believe that you have been injured or fallen ill due to the negligence of a medical professional, whether it be in a form that was mentioned above or some other scenario, continue reading through our medical malpractice guide to find some of the answers that you are looking for. Do not hesitate to contact an experienced St. Louis medical malpractice attorney at Finney Law Office, LLC today to get started on your case. We want to help you.
Medical Malpractice Guide:
- Medical Malpractice Guide Homepage
- What is the standard of care?
- What do I have to prove?
- How to Avoid Medical Malpractice
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