312-372-1227 Preventing Medical Malpractice
When you seek advice and treatment from a medical professional, you expect their care to align with the highest standards. Unfortunately, doctors, nurses, and other health professionals sometimes make mistakes. The result of their substandard care can be a worsening of your condition, pain, emotional distress, life-altering physical and financial consequences, and other adverse outcomes.
If you were hurt by a healthcare provider’s mistake, you could demand compensation by filing a medical malpractice lawsuit against them.
At Salvi, Schostok & Pritchard, P.C., we have the knowledge and resources to help you demand accountability. We will carefully review your situation, outline your legal options to recovering compensation for what you’ve suffered, and pursue the compensation on your behalf. Contact our compassionate Chicago medical malpractice attorneys today to arrange a free legal consultation to learn more about your rights.
What Is Medical Malpractice?
Medical errors are the third leading cause of death in the United States, resulting in nearly 250,000 fatalities annually, according to a report by U.S. News. However, not all medical errors rise to the level of medical malpractice. As defined by Illinois law, medical malpractice involves professionals in the healthcare industry failing or neglecting to provide appropriate treatment in a timely fashion to a patient’s detriment.
To mount a medical malpractice suit with the best chance of achieving a favorable outcome, an injured patient must have evidence proving that the medical professional or medical facility violated the standard of care they owed their patient. Violating the standard of care means a medical professional failed to act or provide treatment in a manner another practitioner of similar training and experience would have taken under similar = circumstances.
In addition to proving a healthcare professional failed to provide adequate treatment in the same manner as another equally trained and educated medical provider, a patient must also establish that the practitioner’s careless actions caused an injury that would not have otherwise occurred and that the patient can be compensated financially to offset this injury.
What Are the Most Common Types of Medical Malpractice?
While medical malpractice can take many different forms, some of the most common examples include:
- Failure to diagnose
- Failure to treat
- Misdiagnosis
- Unnecessary surgeries or treatments
- Errors in reading laboratory results
- Ignoring or dismissing laboratory results
- Surgical errors
- Prescription drug errors involving wrong dosages
- Prescription drug errors involving the wrong medication
- Procedural errors
Medical malpractice lawsuits can also arise from childbirth injuries, such as those involving:
- Poor prenatal care
- Improper use of medical equipment during childbirth
- Failure to perform an emergency cesarean section when necessary
- Mishandling an infant after birth
If you believe the careless actions of a medical professional or medical facility have injured you, consult with a personal injury lawyer immediately. It takes a skilled and knowledgeable medical malpractice attorney to assess the merits of a patient’s case, build a compelling claim, and pursue maximum compensation. Medical malpractice cases can be extremely challenging because they have a high burden of proof and follow a very specific process.
You need someone who can work with medical specialists to establish the appropriate course of treatment and prove the provider deviated from it, thus meeting the high evidentiary bar set by the State of Illinois. The Chicago medical malpractice attorneys at Salvi, Schostok & Pritchard were pioneers in this field and have decades of experience in providing outstanding results.
Medical Malpractice Prevention
Medical facilities can help avoid costly medical malpractice claims by taking proactive steps to provide high-quality care to their patients. Establishing good relationships with patients and building a solid rapport helps decrease the chances of committing an avoidable error and subsequently facing a medical malpractice claim. How? Building rapport starts with honest communication. Fostering clear and effective communication between facilities, healthcare providers, staff members, and patients helps everyone have accurate and up-to-date information. Patients who trust their medical providers are more likely to express concerns, opinions, and experiences, which can help patient outcomes improve dramatically.
Medical records are essential in any medical malpractice claim. Physicians and other healthcare workers should properly document all information related to a patient’s condition, state of mind, behavior, and treatment. Medical facilities and practitioners can help prevent medical errors and avoid lawsuits by keeping detailed and accurate records of clinical results, patient notes, prescription drugs, allergies, and treatment options.
Additional ways to decrease medical malpractice risk and improve patient safety include:
- Answer patient questions honestly and document these conversations.
- Highlight possible risks and obtain informed consent before medical procedures.
- Follow up with patients after medical procedures or changes in their care.
- Fulfill all medical facility and hospital documentation requirements for each patient at every interaction.
- Write legibly to avoid problems with understanding notes or filling prescriptions.
As a patient, you can do your part to help prevent medical malpractice and medical errors. Before seeking medical care, do your homework. Research the medical facility and healthcare professional you want involved in your care and look for facilities and physicians with a solid reputation and experience. You want to avoid practitioners with a history of misconduct. Several resources can help you, including the American Board of Medical Specialists and the Federation of State Medical Boards.
When receiving care or treatment, don’t be afraid to ask questions. Communication works both ways. Building trust requires open communication between you and your caregiver so you can understand all aspects of your care and treatment options, including potential side effects, possible outcomes, and complications. Physicians who are unwilling or too busy to discuss your treatment plan can leave you with lingering doubts about the quality of patient care. It may also indicate they are careless and capable of overlooking vital details pertinent to your care.
Never be afraid to advocate for your health. When you think something is wrong, speak up. If you need help protecting your legal rights, contact a medical malpractice lawyer in Chicago for help.
Contact Our Award-Winning Medical Malpractice Attorneys Today for a Free Consultation
At Salvi, Schostok & Pritchard, P.C., we always treat our clients with compassion and respect. We know how challenging it can be to cope with the fact that a trusted medical professional caused you significant harm. We are committed to investigating the circumstances of your situation and helping you understand your legal options for pursuing compensation for your losses.
We’ve recovered more than $2 billion in verdicts and settlements for our clients, so our results speak for themselves. Contact our Chicago office today to set up a free and confidential legal consultation to find out how we can put this experience to work for you.
