What Qualifies as Medical Malpractice in Pennsylvania?
Commonly defined as a situation where the acceptable medical standard of care has not been met, medical malpractice can take multiple forms. It could be when you visit your doctor with a medical concern, and your physician tells you nothing is wrong without performing any tests to verify this. Or it could be when you go in for a routine procedure, and the anesthesiologist gives you the incorrect amount of sedative, and you wake up mid-procedure.
Although it can take on many forms, some of the most common types of malpractice we see in our office include:
- Surgical errors: These occur when a mistake is made during surgery, such as operating on the wrong body part, leaving objects inside the patient, or performing the wrong procedure. These mistakes can cause severe and lasting damage to a patient’s health.
- Medication errors: Many times, this can include prescribing the wrong medication, incorrect dosages, or failing to check for dangerous drug interactions. Medication errors can lead to serious side effects, worsened conditions, or even death.
- Misdiagnosis or delayed diagnosis: When a healthcare provider fails to diagnose a condition or makes an incorrect diagnosis, it can delay proper treatment. Often, the patient’s condition worsens and requires more invasive treatments. In severe cases, it can lead to death.
- Anesthesia errors: Mistakes made by anesthesiologists, such as administering the wrong amount of anesthesia or failing to monitor vital signs during a procedure, can have life-threatening consequences.
These issues often happen due to negligence, fatigue, or inadequate training. Unfortunately, they can lead to physical, emotional, and financial damages for patients.
It is important to understand that these cases often become complicated. Medical staff are often overworked, which leads to fatigue and, therefore, a higher chance of mistakes being made; however, that doesn’t excuse the fact that you were harmed.
So, if you fell victim to any of the situations above or something else, reach out to us at Laffey Bucci D’Andrea Reich & Ryan for a free consultation. We’ll put you in touch with a Lower Merion Township medical malpractice lawyer in our office with whom you can discuss what happened so they can advise you on what rights Pennsylvania law affords you.