Like most people, you probably put a lot of faith in your family practitioner. When you or a loved one gets sick, you trust that your family doctor can quickly diagnose and treat the illness and put you back into fine health. But what happens when your trusted physician makes a mistake that causes you to become sicker?
If you believe your doctor made an error that caused you to suffer harm, you might be able to file a medical malpractice suit to recoup your losses. Our Shelton family medicine malpractice lawyers at Berkowitz Hanna are prepared to fight for what you deserve.
Unfortunately, medicine is not an exact science. Sometimes, even with the most advanced medical treatments and attentive care, patients do not get better, and some even get worse. No court expects family physicians to be able to cure every person’s illnesses. Courts also expect that doctors will make occasional errors in their diagnosis and treatment of patients. Those mistakes only amount to malpractice when they are unreasonable and fall below the accepted standard of care.
Determining if a medical mistake is malpractice can be complicated and often depends on the precise situation and surrounding factors. For instance, if a family doctor meets with a patient who is complaining about their health, that doctor should give the patient a full examination, listen to their symptoms, order the appropriate diagnostic tests, and consult with relevant specialists. If the doctor makes the wrong diagnosis, that might not be malpractice if another reasonable doctor might have made the same error after hearing the symptoms and examining the patient. However, if the doctor was overscheduled with too many patients and too busy to give the patient sufficient time in the examining room, they might have missed hearing about specific symptoms that could have helped them clearly identify the ailment. In that situation, a court might determine that the family doctor committed malpractice.
The Shelton attorneys at Berkowitz Hanna have extensive experience with family medicine malpractice claims and an in-depth understanding of the relevant laws. Meeting with an experienced legal professional can provide more clarity on whether a particular situation constitutes malpractice.
Because family practitioners work with all different types of patients, there are a multitude of situations in which they might commit malpractice. The following are some of the most frequent examples of family medicine malpractice that our Shelton attorneys see.
While most family practitioners refer pregnant patients to obstetricians or midwives, some family doctors provide obstetrical care. If they fail to recognize and treat a prenatal condition or identify the signs of fetal distress during labor and delivery, a serious birth injury could occur.
Because of the continuing nature of the family doctor-patient relationship, these kinds of practitioners build trust in their patients. Family doctors are often the first medical workers to see a patient when they are sick. If they misdiagnose their patient and send them home without treating their illness, that patient could become sicker. If they delay in making the correct diagnosis or fail to treat their patient, their patient could miss the chance to take advantage of early treatment.
Serious injuries can occur when doctors prescribe the wrong drug or dosage or fail to take note of possible interactions with their patients’ other medications.
When you see your family doctor, you develop trust in them. While it might not be reasonable to expect that they will cure every one of your illnesses, you have the right to expect that they will give you competent and reasonable care. When your provider acts negligently and ends up harming you or making your condition worse, you deserve restitution.
A Shelton family medicine malpractice lawyer can help you understand your legal options. Call today to get started.
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