The Eight Most Common Types of Medical Malpractice

The following article is part of our series on medical malpractice law in Pennsylvania. This article has been adapted from our free eBook titled What You Need To Know To Protect Yourself And Your Rights. (Click here to download the full e-book.)

In our experience, there are the Eight Most Common Types of Medical Malpractice:

1. Misdiagnosis – When the healthcare provider fails to diagnose the correct illness or condition.
2. Delayed Diagnosis – When the correct diagnosis should have been made earlier and the delay caused harm to the patient.
3. Failure or Improper Treatment – When the healthcare provider makes the right diagnosis but fails to treat the condition or recommends the wrong treatment.
4. Surgical Errors – When a surgeon causes the patient harm during surgery due to negligence. There are many common surgical errors. They include unintentionally cutting a nerve or blood vessel during surgery, anesthesia errors, operating on the wrong body part, or leaving a sponge or instrument inside the body.
5. Medication & Prescription Mistakes – When a doctor or nurse or pharmacist causes the patient to be given the wrong medication, the wrong dose of medication or no medication when they need it and, as a result, the patient suffers injury.
6. Instruments Left in Patients – It is often malpractice when a medical instrument like a sponge is inadvertently left in the patient following a surgery.
7. Birth Injury – Birth injury malpractice may occur in many forms. The obstetrician’s prenatal care may have been inadequate, even though the mother sought treatment to ensure her own health and her unborn baby’s health. Negligence can also occur during childbirth, or in the period immediately following delivery, resulting in injuries to mom or baby. If those injuries were preventable, medical malpractice likely took place.
8. No Consent & Lack of Informed Consent – Doctors are required to inform the patient of all the risks associated with a given procedure or medical treatment before gaining the patient’s consent for the medical care. This is called informed consent. A physician who proceeds with a procedure or treatment without the patient’s informed consent is liable for all injuries caused by that procedure or treatment, regardless of whether the procedure is performed or the treatment is administered with the proper skill and care.

If you have think that you or a loved one is a victim of medical malpractice, contact us for a free case evaluation.