According to a recent study at Johns Hopkins Medical, medical malpractice might be the third leading cause of death behind heart disease and cancer. The reason for that possible conclusion is that death certificates that are submitted to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention simply don’t list medical malpractice as a possible cause of death.
The Standard of Care
Under Illinois law, medical malpractice occurs when a physician or health care facility deviates from the appropriate standard of care when treating a patient, and as a result of this deviation, the patient suffers injury or death. The standard of care is that which is consistent with what other medical professionals would follow when treating a similar patient. As per the Chicago medical malpractice lawyer at Shea Law Group, even a gross deviation in the standard of care isn’t compensable unless the patient suffered damages.
Some Common Examples
Here are just a few examples of deviations from the standard of care that can lead to allegations of medical malpractice:
- Misdiagnosis: This involves a physician diagnosing you with one condition when in fact, you’re suffering from a different condition.
- Delayed diagnosis when there is a misdiagnosis that allows a condition to progress until such time as there is a proper diagnosis.
- Surgery on the wrong patient.
- Surgery on the correct patient but wrong body part.
- Medication errors involving the wrong medication, dosage or both.
- Childbirth injuries, especially those involving brain damage.
Medical malpractice cases are highly
complex. If you believe that you or a family member was the victim of
medical malpractice anywhere in Chicago, you’ll want to consult with
an experienced and effective Chicago medical malpractice lawyer from
our offices. Call us at 877-365-0040 to arrange for a free
consultation and case review or visit us online at Shea
Law Group.
