Nothing may give more anxiety to parents than having a child undergo surgery. Parents may investigate various options in an effort to learn more about the reputations of various facilities. Yet there is no comprehensive database for evaluating the quality of care provided by doctors across the country.
That’s not to say that research into a medical facility’s reputation will be futile. For example, a parent may investigate the type of equipment and staff or specialists that are on hand, which may go a long way toward ensuring pediatric surgical safety. In addition, an attorney that focuses on medical malpractice law might have resources to suggest for investigating quality indicators. At a minimum, establishing a relationship with an attorney might provide additional assurance, especially if a risky pediatric procedure will be required.
However, pediatric doctors are human and thus may be subject to surgical errors or hospital negligence, as with other kinds of medical professionals.
A pediatric doctor's duty of care may include analyzing a patient’s entire medical history. Based on a patient’s unique medical history, a health care professional may realize the need for certain tests. In a recent example, the parents of an injured pediatric patient claim that a doctor’s failure to compare a previous CT scan may have resulted in a failure to diagnosis a ruptured spleen. That medical mistake, sadly, may have contributed to the boy’s injuries, which include some permanent brain injury, as well as developmental delays.
If you believe that your child was the victim of a medical mistake or negligence, you might need an attorney who has experience with personal injury and medical malpractice litigation to pursue the full amount of compensation to which you may be entitled.
Source: West Virginia Record, “Parents allege medical negligence led to son’s injury,” April Bamburg, Aug. 19, 2014
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