What is Medical Malpractice?

    LANCASTER, PA, October 22, 2011 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Although medical malpractice covers a broad range of circumstances, it is essentially negligence committed by a health care provider.

Most states describe medical malpractice as a deviation from a standard practice of care that results in harm to the patient. This negligence may be improper action taken by a health care provider or the failure of a medical professional to take appropriate action.

It's important to note that not every adverse treatment result can be considered medical malpractice; physicians and other health care providers can follow accepted standards of care with a patient still suffering negative effects. Negligence is key in medical malpractice.

To prove medical malpractice, you must establish four basic components:

- That the allegedly negligent medical professional or health care facility owed you a duty of care
- That the accepted standard of care was not met or was deviated from in your treatment
- That you incurred actual damage
- That there is a direct link between the negligent act and your injury

Medical malpractice can apply to individual health care providers such as doctors, nurses, surgeons, paramedics, medical technicians and pharmacists as well as to entities such as hospitals, nursing homes and other care facilities.

Examples of medical negligence include but are not limited to:

- Anesthesia errors
- Failure to act on test results
- Inadequate patient monitoring
- Infections contracted in a medical facility
- Medical equipment failure
- Medication errors (wrong prescription, improper dosage, adverse drug interactions)
- Misdiagnosis
- Misinterpretation of medical orders/care management mistakes
- Patient injury during transfer
- Surgical mistakes

Medical malpractice can occur in a variety of settings including:

- Assisted-living facilities
- Doctors' offices
- Hospitals
- Nursing homes
- Outpatient surgical centers
- Patients' homes
- Pharmacies
- Walk-in medical clinics

Medical malpractice is, by its wide-spanning nature, an especially complicated area of law. If you have suffered harm or a family member died due to medical negligence, it's in your best interests to contact an experienced medical malpractice attorney as soon as possible.

If you would like to learn more about medical malpractice, please visit the website of the Pennsylvania medical malpractice attorneys at Atlee Hall & Brookhart at www.atleehall.com.

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