One of the most common causes of medical malpractice in San Diego hospitals is poor communications between members of the health care team. A recent medical malpractice verdict from another state provides dramatic proof.
What is the statute of limitation for medical malpractice?
Most Californians understand that a legal claim for damages must be commenced before the statutory deadline for bringing such claims expires. However, the question of what is the length of time for bringing a medical malpractice case requires a lengthy answer because the law that defines the limitation period contains a number of exceptions.
Double-booked surgeons raise questions about patient safety
When Californians need surgery, they assume that the doctor who has advised them about the necessity and risks of the contemplated procedure will be the surgeon performing the operation. Several recent studies have revealed that this assumption is not always correct. Many surgeons commonly perform surgery on two patients at the same time without informing the patient, and critics of the practice are questioning what this practice means for patient care.
State court throws out malpractice damage cap
Over the last few years, many states, including California, have passed laws that limit the amount that victims of medical malpractice can recover for non-economic damages. Congress is considering a similar measure. A recent decision by an appellate court in Wisconsin may seriously undermine the constitutionality of such laws.
Understanding "informed consent" in California
Most residents of Southern California understand that a doctor cannot perform an operation on a patient or provide treatment without first obtaining the patient's consent. However, the form and circumstances of the consent are almost as important as the patient's agreement to go forward. The ways in which consent must be obtained have been carefully spelled out by California courts in a number of medical malpractice decisions involving accusations that the physician failed to obtain the patient's knowing and deliberate consent.
The role of specialization in medical malpractice lawsuits
The title "medical doctor" is a general phrase that applies to individuals who hold medical degrees. Medical doctors can practice their professions in many different specialties, such as pediatrics, cardiology and gastroenterology. It is important that San Diego residents recognize and understand that role that specialization can play in proving a medical malpractice case, particularly with regard to the application of the appropriate standard of care to the doctor or doctors under review.
Doctor errors harm patients and lead to preventable deaths
The axiom, "To err is human," is commonly stated to explain the many mistakes and errors that people make each and every day. It is doubtful that any San Diego resident has gone their entire life without a slip-up of some kind, and though some blunders are normal, there are some contexts in which mistakes seem inexcusable. One place that individuals expect to be error free is their doctors' offices, but according to some studies doctors make many mistakes that put their patients in harm's way.
Gross negligence in patient care leads to loss of license
Due to their specialized education and training protocols doctors are often trusted as experts in the fields of health and medicine. As such, many San Diego residents feel confident that they can trust their doctors' decisions about their illnesses and treatment options because those medical professionals have generally undergone years of rigorous practice and study. While many doctors provide excellent services to their patients, others lack of care can not only be unhelpful for their patients but also dangerous.
Failure to treat infections can lead to sepsis
According to some statistics, there are millions of cases of misdiagnosis of infections every year. Many people in San Diego may not take the misdiagnosis of an infection seriously, but the reality is that a failure to treat an infection can lead to a serious medical condition known as sepsis or septic collapse. Twenty-eight to 50 percent of all people infected with sepsis die, as per the National Institute of General Medical Science.
Can apologies reduce medical malpractice suits?
One of the ways an injured person can come to terms with their injury is to find out how they were injured-the cause of an injury often helps people come to terms with their injury. But when California residents are injured at the hands of their caregivers, through doctors errors, they often either never find out they are the victims of medical negligence or the only way they can find out what went wrong is by suing.
