If you have suffered harm or injury because of the carelessness or negligence of a doctor, hospital, or other medical professionals, you are probably wondering what recourse you have. Medical Malpractice in Florida can seem complicated, but with an experienced medical malpractice lawyer on your side, you will have a much better chance of success.
What Constitutes Medical Malpractice?
There are many ways in which you might suffer harm at the hands of a healthcare professional, but not every situation warrants medical malpractice. It must be clearly established that the standard of care has been breached.
The most common things that constitute medical malpractice include:
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Botched Anesthesia
If you undergo an invasive surgical procedure, you will likely be put under a general anesthetic. When anesthesia is improperly administered, a patient may be or become awake and aware during the surgery, a severely traumatic and sometimes painful occurrence.
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Preventable Injuries That Happen Under Care
When you are in the hospital, you have the right to expect that the person who provides care for you is properly trained and professionally certified as well as diligent in their work. If an injury occurs as a result of incompetence, such as a failure to accurately diagnose or treat a complaint, administering the wrong medication, or performing a procedure on the wrong body part, you may have cause for medical malpractice.
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Misdiagnosis or Delayed Diagnosis of a Severe Illness
If a doctor fails to diagnose or does not tell you about a critical illness, it could have a devastating effect on your health. For malpractice to be proven, you must be able to prove that the complaint was evident or that the doctor would have reasonably been able to make the diagnosis based on your health records. If your condition worsened or your health deteriorated as a result, you may have grounds for legal action.
What happens next?
If a breach of the standard of care can be proven and there is enough evidence to substantiate your claim, you may then pursue damages. However, the process is complicated and often challenging. A thorough and detailed investigation is critical.
