Doctors and medical staff are held to a high professional standard. For the most part, medical professionals meet these demands and treat patients to the best of their ability. Unfortunately, there are occasions when medical professionals may fail to meet their obligations and the care they administer falls below accepted standards. If a patient is injured as a result of this failure, they may be entitled to file a medical malpractice suit. For a medical malpractice case to gain traction, the following four elements must be satisfied. The duty of care A duty of care refers to the expected leve ..read more

Communication is vital to any functional relationship. That is as true for a professional relationship as it is for interpersonal relationships. For example, patients generally need to be able to trust their physicians enough to be honest about potentially embarrassing symptoms and the details of their lifestyle. They need to effectively convey concerns to their doctor during appointments. Unfortunately, many patients struggle to receive an accurate diagnosis. A doctor might never diagnose them at all or may diagnose them with the wrong condition. The patient may later blame a physician for re ..read more

When expectant mothers get into a delivery room, they generally go there hopeful that the birth process will be smooth and without complications, leading to the safe arrival of their precious babies into the world. However, negligence on the part of medical professionals or unforeseen circumstances can lead to injuries during birth, profoundly impacting both a child and their family for a lifetime. Brain injuries are among the life-altering injuries that can occur during birth, and they may include the following. Hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) In cases of difficult or prolonged labor, t ..read more

Over the last few decades, an increasing number of hospitals, physician practices and nursing homes have all come under the ownership of private equity firms. Hailed for their supposed efficiency (and profits), private equity firms are having a huge impact on modern healthcare, but it isn’t a positive one.  No money, no supplies and poor patient care In theory, private equity companies are supposed to improve a medical practice’s efficiency without lowering the quality of care that patients receive.  In practice, however, studies indicate that patient falls, bed sores and hospital-ac ..read more

Poor healthcare worker communication is a significant issue that can adversely affect patient outcomes and safety, potentially leading to medical errors and malpractice. This concern spans across various aspects of healthcare delivery. Some of the ways that poor communication between healthcare workers or providers can result in medical malpractice include the following. Breakdowns in team coordination One of the primary ways that poor communication contributes to medical malpractice is through breakdowns in team coordination. Healthcare delivery often involves a multidisciplinary team approac ..read more

A cancer diagnosis is often the last thing that someone wants to receive from a medical professional. Cancer is a debilitating condition that requires treatment that can significantly diminish someone’s quality of life. Many people battling cancer require invasive surgery, chemotherapy and other types of treatment that can leave them very ill. While the average patient might prefer a less serious explanation for their symptoms, receiving a minor diagnosis when the true cause of someone’s symptoms is cancer is a major medical error. If a doctor misdiagnoses someone who has cancer, the patient l ..read more

Before undergoing surgery, patients may naturally experience a mix of emotions, from anxiety to hope for improved health. Amid these feelings, the concern for medical malpractice, though unpleasant, is a valid consideration. Medical errors caused by negligent providers can lead to devastating outcomes, and this kind of professional mistreatment is usually out of patients’ hands. With that said, surgical patients can take proactive steps to minimize risks and more effectively protect themselves before they go under. Here we’ll discuss a few. Tips to keep in mind If you are undergoing a surgical ..read more

There are few car accidents as dangerous as a wrong-way accident on the interstate. This is a head-on crash, which is highly dangerous on its own, even with modern safety systems like airbags, crumple zones and seatbelts. Additionally, drivers on the interstate may be going around 75 miles an hour. This means that their combined speed is closer to 150 miles an hour, creating a very violent collision. Of course, though, this is a type of collision that should never occur. Interstates are divided by walls or medians and are controlled by on-ramps and off-ramps. Drivers should always be heading i ..read more

When you read about vehicle crashes in the news, it is easy to categorize those responsible as dangerous. It’s easy to believe they are the exception rather than the rule and that most people you know would never be as stupid or reckless as the drivers in question were. Yet, when you consider how quickly a crash can occur, it’s not hard to see that it doesn’t take much to cause one. It does not require someone to be particularly stupid or reckless. It just requires them to make one small mistake. Most drivers do something dangerous at some point If you reflect on your driving history, you can ..read more

While many babies in North Adams, Massachusetts, suffer minor injuries that heal soon after, some are more severe. Certain critical instances will recover with timely and appropriate medical care. However, others might result in permanent impairments. This might affect the child physically, cognitively and emotionally. Breaches of birth injury care standards Birth injuries are preventable when healthcare professionals adhere to the standard of care for both the mother and baby. These include identifying and addressing uncommon findings, monitoring their health, etc. Possible signs of medical m ..read more