Identifying the common causes of medical malpractice in St. Petersburg might be helpful for a number of reasons. For example, by understanding how these errors happen, a person injured by a doctor’s negligence may be able to determine if they have grounds for a malpractice claim. Furthermore, a well-versed attorney could help to assess the circumstances leading up to your injuries in order to determine if any form of negligence has occurred.
How Doctors Make Mistakes in St. Petersburg
While errors can be made by doctors and medical professionals during virtually any form of procedure, there are some common occurrences Florida. If, for example, someone believes they were pushed into a procedure they did not need—or if they believe they did not get standard care during surgery—and suffered a worsened condition as a result, they may have grounds for a malpractice claim.
Furthermore, one of the most common forms of malpractice often relates to cardiac care. For a long time, Medicare was allowing a substantial reimbursement for doctors inserting stents in the coronary arteries of patients’ hearts. However, despite an effort to limit this process, there are many doctors who are still used to putting stents in patients.
During this procedure, most of the medical community would say that a person needs to have 70 percent blockage in an artery before a stent would be required. Therefore, if a doctor used a stent on a patient with less than 70 percent blockage and an injury results, that doctor might be considered to be negligent.
The Line Between an Error and Malpractice
Negligence is defined as the failure to act reasonably in a given circumstance—essentially, if a doctor acts differently than is standard under the same or similar circumstances, they might be considered negligent. Therefore, the point at which something elevates from a mistake to true medical malpractice is if this error is born out of negligence.
For example, if a doctor makes a decision and this turns out to not be the right one, they might not be considered negligent if all the standards of care were met. This might include the proper ordering of tests, performing the correct examinations of a patient, accurately assessing their medical history, and obtaining all the proper information any doctor would need before making a decision.
However, if a physician was in a hurry or was not adequately trained and neglects to follow a necessary step in the process of making a diagnosis or performing some kind of treatment, this failure might be considered a breach of standard protocol. Therefore, if this breach leads the patient to suffer an injury or worsened condition, this may be considered professional negligence.
The Importance of Understanding the Common Causes of Malpractice in St. Petersburg
If you were injured or suffered a worsened condition while under the care of a medical professional, understanding the common causes of malpractice in St. Petersburg might help you determine if you have a valid claim for compensation. However, even when injuries are apparent, navigating the legal process to pursue compensation for your losses is often difficult and complex, especially as you recover from your injuries.
By working with a seasoned attorney, you could have help in gathering medical records and other documentation in order to file a claim. Call a lawyer today to schedule a consultation.