Medical Neglect: An Act of Medical Malpractice

Medical neglect can result in death or serious conditions depending on the negligence and on the patient’s condition.  One of the most common types of errors is the failure to monitor the patient properly.  When doctors, nurses and other health care professionals forget to check on patients, or fail to respond to alarms, patients can suffer life-altering injuries and lives can be lost.

Patient Monitoring Errors in Hospitals

Medical professionals sometimes miss changes in a patient’s condition or make other mistakes that can cause serious harm which include:

• Failing to take vital signs
• Turning off alarms on monitors
• Ignoring alarms or not responding to alarms quickly enough
• Failing to regularly check on a patient via remote patient monitoring
• Failing to watch for signs of infection, bleeding, or other complications during post operative care

Doctors are negligent and commit medical malpractice when they fail to monitor the patient properly, resulting in the patient suffering additional injury or death.  A lack of medical treatment may be to blame when nurses or other health care workers fail to check on a patient in a critical care unit.

Types of Legal Damages to Seek

The two different types of damages that can be awarded to a plaintiff are known as compensatory and punitive damages.  Compensatory damages can be both financial and non-financial.  Therefore, a person can be awarded compensation for the actual cost of what has happened to them, as well as having to endure the actual injury.  Punitive damages are awarded as a form of punishment to the defendant.

When to Talk to a Medical Malpractice Lawyer

If you wish to file a lawsuit for medical neglect, you should consult with a medical malpractice attorney.  They will be able to review the facts of your case by gathering the appropriate evidence.

If you are a medical professional facing malpractice charges due to medical neglect, you should contact an experienced medical malpractice attorney who can provide a strong legal defense for you.