There are various types of malpractice, from accounting to legal to medical, global malpractice is generally attributed to professional services that are complex and governed by strict legislation. For the purposes of this article on medical malpractice, we will be concentrating on medical malpractice and discussing the implications of this in the US.
The third leading cause of premature death in the US is medical malpractice. The first most prolific cause of premature death is heart disease and the second is cancer. With these two monstrous diseases causing death and destruction, it’s hard to believe that the third is caused by the people who have been trained to help us!
Medical malpractice is not necessarily intentional and can sometimes be attributed to something as innocent as a misdiagnosis. However, there are times when the medical and criminal fraternity seem to purposefully join forces to cause harm.
I once worked at a hospital where one of the OB/GYNs was perforating the small intestine of the patient he was performing a hysterectomy on. He would do this, apparently “accidentally” to make the medical bill more expensive.
Meanwhile, a proportion of his patients were walking around with colostomy bags completely unnecessarily, and he was also creating life-threatening situations. He was eventually caught and reprimanded, but this type of case was and still is very difficult to prove; the hospital had to press charges and prove this, as his patients believed he was completely innocent.
The definition of medical malpractice is “an act of negligence on the part of a health care provider.” This negligent act has to result in additional complications or death to be considered malpractice; Like the case of our previous doctor, who was more than negligent, he was actively involved in an act of commission that is criminal.
The nature of malpractice dictates that it occurs when a healthcare professional deviates from accepted standards of medical practice. The cases range from failed deliveries during labor to misdiagnoses of cancer or other easily diagnosed diseases. Dentists are also guilty in case of malpractice, as are nursing staff and, indeed, anyone employed in the medical field.
In the event that a medical malpractice lawsuit is filed, it is essential to have a good medical malpractice attorney on your side. These lawyers are well prepared in terms of medical cases and in most cases they specialize only in these cases.