Patients in Pennsylvania naturally rely on their nurses, doctors and other health care providers to treat them with the greatest standards of knowledge and professionalism. After all, these roles directly impact an individual's health. Unfortunately, sometimes health care providers engage in medical malpractice, and this can affect a person or a family for years or even for a lifetime.
Alleged malpractice is not uncommon; a recent survey shows that a majority of physicians are sued for medical malpractice at some point during their careers. The survey showed that by the time the doctors who participated in the research study turned 60 years old, about 80 percent of them had been accused of medical malpractice at least once. The top reasons given for malpractice claims were failure to diagnose, failure to treat or the patient ended up suffering an abnormal injury.
Other mistakes that may cause doctors to be liable for injuries or deaths caused by medical malpractice include medication administration errors and subpar documentation of patient instructions. Doctors may also fail to follow the proper safety procedures and fail to obtain informed consent. In some instances, doctors improperly obtained informed consent.
Other reasons that may be grounds for medical malpractice claims include fetal deaths, birth defects, postoperative and in-hospital infections, and misdiagnoses or late diagnoses of cancer or other diseases. Financial restitution from a case that is fought successfully in Pennsylvania may help to cover health care costs and other costs tied to the documented incident of medical malpractice. Liability needs to be established via competent proof before claims for damages will be determined.
Source: beckershospitalreview.com, "Top 3 reasons for medical malpractice lawsuits", Emily Rappleye, Dec. 9, 2015