Reasons why doctors are sued

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When a Houston resident goes to the doctor they assume they will get answers about their ailment and will have their doctors give them different approaches as to how to feel better. Most of the time this is what happens as doctors have extensive medical training and experience. But occasionally a doctor error occurs which can cause serious harm to a patient.
When a doctor makes a negligent error he can face a lawsuit from a patient. There are many reasons why a doctor is sued. The main reason for a lawsuit continues to be when a doctor makes a wrong diagnosis or fails to diagnose a serious condition. Examples of this may be when a doctor doesn’t diagnose a patient’s illness in a timely manner which can cause the patient to suffer from a worsened condition. Or a doctor can fail to recognize the signs of a heart attack and a patient may suffer from brain damage or even death because they didn’t receive timely treatment. These and many other examples of a failure to diagnose a medical condition can cause serious injuries to a patient and lead to a medical malpractice lawsuit.
Additional reasons why a doctor may face a lawsuit include a patient suffering an abnormal injury. This can happen during surgery if a surgeon is careless, or a birth injury where a doctor causes an extractor injury along with many other situations. A doctor can also face a lawsuit for medication errors, not treating a patient’s condition, not following safety procedures, not documenting or educating a patient in a proper way or improperly obtaining informed consent.
If a patient believes they have been a victim of medical malpractice, they may want to consult with an attorney. An attorney has experience in reviewing medical records, consulting with medical experts and can help a family get answers as to what happened. It is important to hold doctors accountable for their errors so that they don’t harm anyone else.
Source: Medscape.com, “Top reasons doctors get sued“, Carol Peckham and Sarah Grisham, Dec. 28, 2015