When you visit a medical professional, you’re literally putting your life in that person’s hands. Everyone deserves to receive an appropriate standard of care, but, unfortunately, that doesn’t always happen.
In fact, 10% of deaths in the United States are caused by medical mistakes or errors. This might make you want to learn more about medical malpractice and medical negligence.
What is medical negligence? And what’s the difference between this and medical malpractice? Keep reading to find out!
Medical Negligence: The Basics
First things first: what is considered medical negligence by a doctor? This simple definition of medical negligence is a doctor’s failure to uphold the doctor-patient relationship in a way that would be considered reasonable when compared to the care level of their peers.
In almost all cases, this negligence takes the form of mistakes that cause harm to a patient. For example, a doctor mistakenly leaving a surgical tool inside a patient during surgery is medical negligence. It holds up to the definition because no doctor would knowingly do this – it’s both an oversight and a mistake.
Other examples of medical negligence include:
- Failure to diagnose an illness
- Misdiagnosis
- Performing surgery on the wrong body part
- Misreading or ignoring lab results
- Performing unnecessary surgery
- Prescribing an improper medication dosage
- Poor follow-up care after treatment
- Discharging a patient from a facility prematurely
These are unintentional mistakes that cause harm to a patient.
The Difference Between Negligence and Malpractice
Most people are familiar with the term “medical malpractice.” The primary difference between this and medical negligence is based on intent. While negligence is a mistake or oversight, malpractice is a deliberate breach of contract between the caregiver and the patient.
In this case, the caregiver knew that an action could harm the patient, and consciously chose that action. This doesn’t necessarily mean that they set out to harm the patient, but they still took an action that they knew had a chance of causing injury or death. Some examples of medical malpractice include failing to order a necessary procedure or prescribing a medication without clearly communicating serious risks or side effects.
The difference is sometimes confusing, and each requires a different approach when seeking restitution. Many attorneys handle medical malpractice. However, if you’re dealing with medical negligence, you’ll want to hire a firm that specializes in this, such as the professionals at Gadsby Wicks.
What is Medical Negligence? Now You Know
Now that you know the answer to the question, “What is medical negligence?” you’re in a better position to recognize the situation if it happens to you or a loved one. While it’s best to avoid this in the first place, it’s also important to know when you can seek compensation for a medical mistake.
Our blog is full of articles just like this that will educate you and help you protect yourself. Take a few minutes to scroll through more of our posts – you’ll be glad you did!
