Medical Malpractice

Residents and out-of-towners visit Stratford doctors and other medical professionals on a regular basis. Most people believe that healthcare professionals can help them recover from an injury or an illness, and in most cases, this faith and trust is warranted. However, medical professionals are not perfect, and in Stratford and throughout Connecticut, medical errors can occur. These errors can range from minor issues that are easy to move on from to serious issues that have a lasting impact on patients. On this page, learn more about what medical malpractice is and how to protect yourself from it.

Common Stratford Medical Issues

Medical malpractice is a term that encompasses many different types of issues that could arise when a person seeks medical treatment. It is important to note that a doctor or other healthcare professional does not have to purposefully cause an issue in order for it to be considered medical malpractice. In fact, the vast majority of malpractice issues are not intentional – instead, they result from issues such as negligence, lack of knowledge, recklessness, etc.

A few common forms of medical malpractice that might occur in Stratford or throughout Fairfield County include:

• Misdiagnosis. When people suspect that they are injured or ill, they oftentimes go to doctors for official diagnoses. If a medical professional provides an inaccurate diagnosis, this can have serious consequences. It could mean that the patient is treated for an illness that they don’t have. What’s more, they won’t be treated for their actual ailment, which could lead to a worsening of the problem.
• Failure to diagnose. A similar issues is failure to diagnose a patient. If you think that you are injured or ill and visit a doctor who tells you that there is nothing wrong with you, you may be initially relieved. However, if you actually do have an illness that goes unnoticed, it will therefore be untreated and could get worse. Your actual illness could progress to a dangerous level without treatment.
• Medication errors. This is a very popular form of medical malpractice. When it comes to medication errors, they are actually quite easy to avoid. They oftentimes result from issues such as failure to communicate with a patient, failure to communicate amongst staff, or even staff being overworked and not focusing on administering medication properly. All of these issues can be avoided to prevent issues such as prescribing an inappropriate medication, prescribing the wrong dose, or administering the wrong dose.
• Surgical errors. Surgery is oftentimes an element of the healthcare process that is susceptible to errors and serious damage to a patient. Even simple surgeries can have dire consequences if errors occur during the surgery. One issue that you should look out for is an anesthesia error. This can lead to serious issues such as brain damage.

Preventing Medical Issues

There are many medical malpractice situations that can be avoided through simple communication with healthcare professionals. Make sure to provide a full medical history and an accurate account of your symptoms. Double check diagnoses, treatment, and medication with your doctor. In some cases, getting a second opinion can also prevent medical malpractice.

If you are the victim of Stratford medical malpractice, make sure to reach out to a Stratford medical malpractice lawyer to learn what your options are. You may be able to recover compensation depending on your specific situation. We are here to help you through this experience – contact us for more information today.