Healthcare providers are individuals or facilities, such as doctors, nurses, hospitals, and pharmacies, that provide medical services to patients in need. All medical professionals in California must be licensed to practice. It is important for you to choose a medical practitioner you trust to provide you with competent treatment and to act in your best interest.
If your medical practitioner breaches your trust and acts in a negligent manner, you could suffer injuries because of their carelessness. If you or a loved one has been injured as a result of a medical provider’s disregard, you may need the help of an experienced Alhambra personal injury attorney. The medical malpractice lawyers at Simmrin Law Group are ready to investigate your medical malpractice claim and review the options you have for recovering maximum compensation for your injuries.
Understanding Medical Malpractice in Alhambra
According to the United States National Library of Medicine (NLM), trust is a fundamental aspect of the doctor-patient relationship. To obtain a medical license in California, healthcare professionals are required to complete a certain amount of education, pass various exams, and participate in a required number of continuing education courses. Despite their education and training, however, some medical practitioners do not meet the standard of care they are required to give their patients.
The standard of care that medical providers are required to follow demands that they use the level of skill and knowledge in treating their patients that any other reasonable medical professional would use in similar situations. When healthcare professionals provide their patients with insufficient care that causes them injury or other harm, those professionals may have committed medical malpractice. Considered a type of negligence, medical malpractice is a result of healthcare practitioners failing to meet their standard of care and should be investigated by a medical malpractice attorney in Alhambra.
Our medical malpractice lawyers at Simmrin Law Group are familiar with the medical malpractice laws in California. We are prepared to review your claim and determine if your medical professional acted negligently. If they did, we will fight to get you compensated for your injuries.
Errors Made by Alhambra Healthcare Professionals that Can Constitute Medical Malpractice
Healthcare providers can make a variety of errors when treating patients. Some of these errors could potentially be considered medical malpractice. The following medical errors may constitute medical malpractice and could support a legal claim against your provider.
Errors of Commission
Errors of commission happen when medical professionals perform incorrect actions on their patients or perform procedures incorrectly. As a result, the patient can suffer from additional injuries. Common examples of errors of commission include:
- Administering medication improperly
- Failing to diagnose a medical condition
- Failing to treat a medical condition properly or timely
- Surgical errors
- Failing to monitor a patient properly
- Reading test results improperly
These errors can breach the trust that medical practitioners have with their patients. Further, they are in direct conflict with their oath to do no harm. These breaches may be considered malpractice.
Errors of Omission
Errors of omission occur when healthcare providers do not take actions that should be taken. In other words, the practitioner failed to act in a reasonably prudent manner. The following inactions are examples of errors of omission:
- Failing to strap a patient into their wheelchair
- Failing to provide or prescribe necessary medication
- Failing to completely evaluate a patient
- Failing to order necessary lab work or diagnostic testing
- Failing to review a patient’s medical history
- Failing to identify a patient’s symptoms
Errors of omission can result in devastating results for patients. They could also be fatal. Physicians and other providers who fail to take appropriate action for their patients may be liable for your injuries.
Errors of Communication
Errors of communication are made when medical providers fail to advise or inform an individual about the health or treatment of their patients. These communication errors can happen with patients or other healthcare practitioners. Errors of communication can include:
- Recording incomplete, inaccurate, or illegible medical notes
- Obtaining insufficient informed consent
- Failing to respond to a patient’s calls or concerns
- Inadequately educating a patient
- Failing to provide language or literacy assistance
- Assuming another provider will follow up with the patient
Communication is crucial in the medical field. A patient’s life could be in danger when a medical practitioner fails to properly communicate with them or their other providers. You could recover damages as a result of this type of medical malpractice.
Errors of Context
Errors of context occur when a medical provider does not consider a patient’s limitations. These limitations could impact their care or the success of their treatment. Examples of errors of context are:
- Failing to consider a patient’s transportation limitations
- Failing to consider a patient’s home responsibilities
- Failing to consider a patient’s economic restrictions
- Failing to consider potential language barriers
- Failing to consider a patient’s cultural boundaries
- Failing to consider a patient’s educational constraints
Medical professionals should not treat all patients equally. Those with various limitations should be given certain considerations that can affect the success of their treatment. If your healthcare provider failed to consider your limitations, you could be eligible for compensation.
Diagnostic Errors
Diagnostic errors fail to correctly or timely explain a patient’s medical condition or ailment. These failures could potentially result in more severe injuries or death. The following are examples of diagnostic errors that can be made by healthcare practitioners:
- Missing a diagnosis
- Making an inaccurate diagnosis
- Ordering an incorrect diagnostic test
- Failing to order a diagnostic test
- Making a diagnosis too late
- Closing the diagnostic process too soon
According to the Society to Improve Diagnosis in Medicine, diagnostic errors are the leading cause of medical malpractice claims. They cause the deaths of up to 80,000 patients each year. They can create substantial harm and serious injuries to patients.
If you think your injuries may be the result of one of these errors, it is important that you contact an Alhambra medical malpractice lawyer as soon as possible. We can investigate your claim and determine if you might be eligible to receive compensation for your losses. In California, you typically only have three years from when the malpractice occurred to file a medical malpractice claim, so do not wait to contact us.
Who You Can Sue for Medical Malpractice in Alhambra
When it comes to making a claim for medical malpractice, there are several parties who could be responsible for your injuries. A skilled medical malpractice lawyer in Alhambra can review your medical records and help determine who is liable. The parties who you may be able to make a claim against include:
- Your doctor
- Your nurse
- Your pharmacist
- The hospital where you received treatment
- The lab that processed your tests
- A nursing home where you or a loved one resided
These parties and others may fail to report errors made in your care and treatment. They are often scared of disciplinary action or of losing their jobs. As such, it is crucial that you contact an Alhambra medical malpractice attorney to investigate the circumstances surrounding your injuries and determine whether they may be the result of malpractice.
Let Our Alhambra Medical Malpractice Attorneys Help You
If your healthcare professional has made an error that has caused you harm or injuries, reach out to our experienced medical malpractice attorneys at Simmrin Law Group today. We will fight to get you maximum compensation for your injuries. We will investigate your medical malpractice claim and determine what losses you may be entitled to recover.
No one should have to worry about their medical provider breaking their trust and acting carelessly. Needing to receive medical treatment for an injury or health condition can be stressful enough on its own. If your healthcare practitioner has broken your trust and acted negligently, causing you even more injuries, our skilled medical malpractice lawyers at Simmrin Law Group can help hold the parties liable for your injuries.