In recent years, researchers from John Hopkins University School of Medicine have uncovered that medical malpractice is likely one of the top three causes of preventable death in the country. It was estimated that a quarter of a million Americans lose their lives to medical errors each year, making it technically more dangerous than respiratory disease. The number of severe injuries caused by medical errors is assumed to be even more.
Medical malpractice as a concept is fairly easy to grasp. A medical provider like a doctor, nurse, or surgeon makes a mistake and it ends in the harm of the patient they were supposed to help. However, medical malpractice as defined by the law is much more complicated.
For a medical error to constitute medical malpractice, four elements must be present:
If all four of these elements are present in your case, then it could be that medical malpractice has occurred. Let us investigate matters further and lend our professional insight.
As mentioned, all sorts of medical practitioners can commit a serious error that harms a patient. Doctors, nurses, surgeons, pharmacists, front desk clerks, and more all need to be careful when interacting with patients. As such, medical malpractice can take many forms.
Common types of medical malpractice are: