Types of Cases Medical Malpractice Attorneys in Georgia Handle

Nurses, doctors, and other healthcare providers have to meet certain standards of care in their activities. When they fail, their actions qualify as medical malpractice and entitle their victims to compensation. Only the most experienced medical malpractice lawyers in Georgia can obtain such compensations.

Medical malpractice can occur at any stage of the medical act. It can have both short-term and long-term consequences. The negligence of the healthcare provider often affects more than the health of the patient. It affects their finances, their professional, social, and personal life.

Some Georgia medical malpractice victims lose precious income or even their ability to work. Others lose the support of their loved ones or the ability to enjoy certain hobbies. There are people who fall victim to depression following their suffering. Finally, others do not live to take action against their tortfeasor and recover their losses.

Depending on when and how they occur, medical malpractice cases fall into several categories. Some are more common than others. We will review the ones occurring more frequently in Georgia in the following lines.

1. Misdiagnosis

Many people go to the doctor when they feel sick to find out what is wrong with them. They undergo a medical examination, maybe even blood tests and scanning for that purpose. It is then up to the doctor to interpret their symptoms and test results and provide a diagnosis.

Unfortunately, it is not uncommon for doctors to misdiagnose their patients. They may conclude that the patient has no illness. They may also misinterpret some of the symptoms and place an inaccurate diagnosis. Some doctors diagnose their patients accurately but after long periods of time.

In order for a misdiagnosis or late diagnosis to qualify as malpractice, several conditions have to be met. First of all, the patient needs to get an accurate diagnosis. Then, they need to prove that the doctor who misdiagnosed them failed to do what any other doctor would have done.

2. No or Inadequate Treatment

These cases often go hand in hand with misdiagnosis and late diagnosis cases. Doctors sometimes fail to treat or inadequately treat patients. As a result, the condition of the patient aggravates and/or they experience severe side effects.

This often happens when a doctor treats too many patients. They are not able to provide the necessary care and attention to each patient and they make rash decisions. Their patients have the right to seek compensation for the consequences of those decisions.

3. Surgical Malpractice

These cases are also known as surgical errors. They occur when doctors:

  • Perform the wrong surgery or operate unnecessarily
  • Damage the patients’ healthy nerves, organs, or tissue during surgery
  • Administer the wrong type or amount of anesthesia
  • Use non-sterile equipment
  • Leave objects inside the patient
  • Provide inadequate post-surgery care

Surgical malpractice can have devastating consequences, from temporary or permanent disability to even death. Its victims are often entitled to additional compensation for pain and suffering and other non-economic losses.

4. Birth Injuries

Sometimes, pregnant women and their babies are the victims of medical malpractice in Georgia. Some they receive inadequate prenatal care. Others are victims of their doctor’s negligence while giving birth.

Sometimes, the consequences are easy to live with, like a longer post-delivery recovery period. Other times, the baby or the mother lose their life or suffer devastating injuries. Managed by an experienced Albany medical malpractice attorney, such cases can reach record amounts.

But medical malpractice can take other forms as well. Sometimes, the healthcare provider is not a doctor but the very institution where the patient sought treatment. Other times, the doctor does not do anything wrong but the medicines they used to treat patients are inadequately stored or of inadequate quality.

The best way to assess whether a particular case qualifies as medical malpractice is to consult a lawyer. The latter will analyze all the details and advise their client accordingly. They will also identify the party at fault and the best course of action.

Get in Touch with an Albany, GA, Medical Malpractice Lawyer Now

If you believe you were the victim of a healthcare provider’s negligence, we can help. At Joe Durham Jr. P.C., we have an experienced and competent team ready to review your case. They will tell you everything you need to know, and, if you let them, help you seek compensation.

To benefit from their help and experience, schedule a consultation as soon as possible! You can do so using the online contact form or by phone, at  (229) 351-5320. Our Albany, Georgia, medical malpractice legal team reviews cases for free, so you have nothing to lose!

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