Newport News Medical Malpractice Attorney

What is Medical Malpractice?

Medical malpractice refers to situations in which a healthcare professional or facility, such as a doctor, nurse, hospital, or clinic, provides care that deviates from accepted medical standards, resulting in harm, injury, or death to a patient. It typically involves negligence, errors in diagnosis, treatment, aftercare, or health management.

Common types of medical malpractice cases include:

• Misdiagnosis or Delayed Diagnosis: This occurs when a healthcare provider fails to accurately diagnose a patient's condition in a timely manner, leading to delayed treatment or improper treatment of the actual condition.
• Surgical Errors: These errors can range from performing surgery on the wrong body part or patient to mistakes made during the surgical procedure itself, such as leaving surgical instruments inside the patient or damaging adjacent organs or tissues.
• Medication Errors: These include prescribing the wrong medication, administering the wrong dosage, or failing to properly monitor a patient's response to medication, leading to adverse reactions or worsening of the patient's condition.
• Birth Injuries: Birth injuries can occur during labor and delivery due to negligence or medical errors, leading to conditions such as cerebral palsy, Erb's palsy, or other permanent disabilities in newborns.
• Anesthesia Errors: These errors involve administering too much or too little anesthesia, failing to monitor the patient's vital signs during surgery, or administering anesthesia to a patient with known allergies or contraindications.
• Failure to Obtain Informed Consent: Healthcare providers are required to inform patients of the risks, benefits, and alternatives of a proposed treatment or procedure before obtaining their consent. Failure to do so can result in a medical malpractice claim.
• Nursing Home Neglect or Abuse: This involves neglect or abuse of elderly or vulnerable residents in nursing homes or long-term care facilities, including inadequate supervision, improper medical care, physical abuse, or emotional abuse.
• Laboratory Errors: These errors can include misinterpretation of test results, contamination of samples, or errors in reporting findings, leading to misdiagnosis or improper treatment.
• Infections acquired in healthcare settings: Healthcare-associated infections (HAIs), such as surgical site infections or hospital-acquired pneumonia, can result from inadequate infection control practices or improper sterilization of equipment.
• Emergency room errors: This includes misdiagnosis or failure to prioritize and treat patients appropriately in emergency situations, resulting in harm or worsening of the patient's condition.
• Radiology errors: Mistakes in interpreting diagnostic imaging studies, such as X-rays, CT scans, or MRIs, can lead to misdiagnosis or delayed diagnosis of conditions.

These are just a few examples of medical malpractice. If you suspect that you or a loved one has been the victim of medical malpractice, it is important to seek legal representation as soon as possible. Our Newport News medical malpractice attorneys can help determine if you have a case and guide you through the process of filing a claim.