Harmed by a Health Care Provider’s Mistake? Speak with a Fort Walton Beach Medical Malpractice Attorney Today

Medical mistakes can be difficult to detect, and they can be even more difficult to prove. Doctors and other health care providers have the right – and the obligation – to exercise a certain amount of professional judgment, and not every wrong decision amounts to a breach of their duty of professional care. Additionally, despite the potential effects for patients and their families, many health care providers attempt to cover up their mistakes rather than admitting them. Then, once the insurance companies get involved, patients often end up getting blamed for their own injuries and medical conditions. These are unfortunate realities of our health care system; and, if you believe that you are suffering due to a medical mistake, they make hiring a Fort Walton Beach medical malpractice attorney a necessity. 

Our medical malpractice attorneys represent individuals and families who are coping with the effects of all types of medical mistakes. From misdiagnoses to surgical errors, and from misreading test results to prescribing the wrong medications, all types of medical mistakes have the potential for severe consequences. If you have questions, we encourage you to seek help, and we invite you to contact us for a free consultation about your legal rights.

What Constitutes Medical Malpractice in Florida?

As we mentioned above, not all mistakes rise to the level of medical malpractice. However, many do. If you are concerned about the quality of your or a loved one’s medical care, it is important that you not rely solely on the advice of your provider. Seek a second opinion, or contact us for a free consultation. With decades of experience handling medical malpractice cases in Florida, our Fort Walton Beach medical malpractice attorneys can address all of your concerns, and we can refer you to a specialist in the Fort Walton Beach area who can appropriately diagnose and treat your condition.

Our Fort Walton Beach medical malpractice attorney represents individuals and families in cases involving all forms of medical malpractice, including:

• Misdiagnosis, delayed diagnosis and failure to diagnose
• Overdose, underdose, wrong medication and other prescription errors
• Anesthesia errors
• OB-GYN malpractice (including labor and delivery malpractice)
• Neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) malpractice
• Emergency room (ER) malpractice
• Surgical mistakes
• Hospital administration errors

The consequences of medical malpractice can be severe. From direct financial costs such as medical expenses and lost income to non-financial costs such as emotional trauma, pain and suffering, and loss of enjoyment of life, even “simple” mistakes can have life-altering consequences. As a result, it is important to seek help regardless of the specific type of mistake from which you or your loved one is suffering. Our personal injury attorneys attorneys will thoroughly assess your situation, and we will make sure you have a clear understanding of your right to financial compensation.

You Have Medical Malpractice Questions. Our Law Firm Has the Answers.

What types of medical mistakes can be considered malpractice?

Any time a doctor or other medical professional fails to provide care that meets the accepted standards under the circumstances, that failure can be considered medical malpractice. Mistakes often involve failure to diagnose a condition properly, failure to follow appropriate medical procedures or failure to warn about risks or side effects of proposed treatment. The classic example of a medical mistake is a surgeon leaving a sponge or medical instrument inside a patient’s body, but doctors commit all types of medical errors when they are distracted, in a rush, or unprepared to do their jobs properly. 

Mistakes with medication are common, as are situations where patients suffer harm because a doctor failed to order appropriate tests or interpreted results incorrectly. A knowledgeable Fort Walton Beach medical malpractice attorney can investigate a situation to determine if a patient’s harm was caused by a mistake that amounts to medical malpractice.

Can I sue the hospital or just the person who made the mistake?

The individuals and companies who could be held liable for a medical mistake vary according to the circumstances. Many times, the employer, usually a hospital, can be held responsible for the actions of employees such as doctors, nurses, and other medical staff. The hospital’s failure to establish or enforce proper procedures could have allowed the mistake to occur. The hospital might also be held liable for failure to train or supervise staff. Because each situation is unique, it is helpful to consult a medical malpractice attorney in Fort Walton Beach to discover those who might be held liable for medical injuries.

If I signed a release form, can a Fort Walton Beach medical malpractice lawyer still help me? 

Chances are, every time you set foot in a doctor’s office, they ask you to sign a release form or sign a form acknowledging that you already signed a release form. In these forms, patients are asked to assume a number of risks connected with their treatments and state that they are giving informed consent to assume these consequences. Sometimes, the terms of a waiver take away a patient’s ability to sue if something goes wrong. But not always.

If a patient was not truly informed about risks, then the consent given is not truly informed consent, and a waiver might be held invalid. Moreover, patients never consent to gross negligence on the part of a medical practitioner. If a healthcare provider acts recklessly or fails to provide the appropriate level of care, then a Fort Walton Beach medical malpractice attorney can help an injured patient recover compensation through a malpractice claim even if that patient signed a waiver.

My doctor didn’t tell me about the risks and something went wrong. Can I sue?

Patients cannot give informed consent to a procedure if they do not have an opportunity to understand the risks involved. Just handing a form to a patient may not be enough. If a doctor has not explained what will happen and what could potentially go wrong, a patient who suffers ill effects afterward could have a malpractice claim.

They gave me the wrong medication. Who can be held responsible?

Several people or entities could ultimately be held liable for a medical mistake regarding medication. The doctor might have prescribed the wrong drug or an incorrect dosage. The nurse or medical staff distributing the medication might give it to the wrong patient or provide it at the wrong time. The company that produced the medicine might have mislabeled the bottle or the hospital might have stored the medication improperly. All of these individuals or entities might be held responsible for malpractice, depending on the situation. An experienced medical malpractice attorney in Fort Walton Beach can work to determine who was responsible, collect evidence to establish liability, and help secure compensation to offset the effects. 

Pharmaceutical Error Claims Can Also Be Managed By a Fort Walton Beach Medical Malpractice Attorney 

One of the most common forms of medical malpractice involves errors related to your medication. These errors can include the following: 

• Prescribing the wrong medication
• Prescribing the wrong dosage
• Failure to review or take a complete medical history and prescribing a medication that conflicts with other drugs or is simply a poor choice for that patient (for example, that patient is allergic to that medication)
• Failure to warn of all risks and potential side effects related to the medication

These are errors that are made by the doctor or hospital. However, the pharmacy can also make mistakes: 

• Mislabeling the medication
• Providing the wrong medication to the wrong person
• Providing the wrong dosage or instructions regarding taking the medication

These errors can result in serious harm to patients. If you believe that you have suffered as a result of a medication error, you should discuss your case with a Fort Walton medical malpractice lawyer as soon as possible. 

Medication Errors Are Complicated

As mentioned above, many medication mistakes result from negligence on the part of the doctor, nurse, or other healthcare professional. At the same time, the doctor may have written the correct prescription and done everything that they were supposed to do, but the pharmacy negligently provided the wrong medication. However, other scenarios can make medication errors even more complicated: 

• Faulty lab or test results. The doctor may have provided the correct medication, but the prescription was based on inaccurate lab or test results. In this situation, the lab that administered or processed the tests may be liable for your injuries. 
• Administrative errors. The doctor may not have realized that they relied upon inaccurate or incomplete medical records due to the facility’s mismanagement. As a result, the doctor prescribed the wrong medication, but it was partially the hospital’s fault. 
• The pharmaceutical company is at fault. Finally, the medication error may not have been the fault of the doctor or hospital. Instead, you were harmed by the medication because the pharmaceutical company failed to disclose specific side effects or other hazards. 

There May Be Multiple Parties at Fault in Your Malpractice Case

One of the most complicated aspects of a medical malpractice case is sorting out who should be held accountable. The reality is that many cases may not be the fault of a single person. Instead, there may be multiple parties who each share a part of the blame. Hospitals are responsible for their employees’ actions, and doctors are expected to provide treatment that meets the standard of care. However, multiple parties may be at fault in the following situations: 

• A hospital allows a doctor to continue practicing in their facility despite knowing that they are underqualified and putting the patients at risk.
• A hospital has lax standards and procedures that allow mistakes to happen easily. 
• A doctor fails to adequately supervise the care provided by their nurses and other staff.

If you believe that you’ve suffered as a result of medical malpractice, you should discuss your case with a Fort Walton Beach medical malpractice attorney. They can review your claim and identify all of the potential parties that may be at fault.  

Speak with a Fort Walton Beach Medical Malpractice Attorney in Confidence

To discuss your case with a Fort Walton Beach medical malpractice attorney, please call 800-780-8607 or request a free initial consultation online. You pay nothing unless we win.