Doctor Negligence
Doctor negligence is at the heart of thousands of illnesses and injuries. Although most physicians take their work very seriously and provide medical care that is up to the expected standard, an alarming number of doctors have been found to have acted negligently on the job. Victims of doctor negligence in Louisville, Kentucky and surrounding communities can turn to the law office of Brett H. Oppenheimer, PLLC for answers to their legal questions and representation.
There are numerous ways that a doctor may be guilty of negligence. Some of the most common types of doctor negligence are as follows.
Doctor Negligence Involving Surgery
One of the most shocking types of doctor negligence — performing surgery on the wrong body part or the wrong organ — happens at least 50 times each year in the U.S. Other surgical mistakes that are not uncommon include:
- the wrong procedure is performed
- the wrong patient is operated on
- anesthesia mistakes
- scalpel slips, cutting an organ, blood vessel or other tissue
- leaving a surgical instrument or sponge inside the patient after surgery
- unsanitary surgical instrument or conditions
- mistake in the surgical procedure itself
- mistakes in the pre-operative plan
Doctor Negligence Involving Medication
A physician may fail to prescribe needed medication, or may prescribe the wrong medication, or may prescribe the wrong dose. A doctor may also be found negligent when he or she prescribes medication but fails to take into account a patient’s:
- concurrent medication or therapy
- existing medical condition(s)
- allergy
- age or body weight
In addition, although doctors are notorious for their illegible handwriting, such poor handwriting has been the source of serious medication mistakes.
Doctor Negligence in Failing to Diagnose Correctly
There are four main ways that a doctor may be negligent in a diagnosis:
- failing to identify a medical condition that exists (such as cancer or a heart problem)
- diagnosing (and treating) a condition when the patient does not have any problem
- diagnosing the wrong condition (or the wrong stage or site of the condition)
- failing to diagnose a problem in a timely manner
Consult a Kentucky Attorney about Doctor Negligence
If you’ve been harmed by a doctor’s negligence, talk to a doctor negligence attorney in Louisville, Kentucky about your circumstances in a free, no-commitment consultation.
