When Is Pediatric Malpractice Most Likely to Occur?
From correctly diagnosing a medical condition to providing medical treatment during an emergency, doctors, pediatricians, and all healthcare providers have a responsibility to provide a certain standard of care to their patients. As a parent, you rely on the expertise and guidance of your child’s pediatrician or other health care provider treating your child. It is especially devastating when children are injured due to medical malpractice and negligence.
Unfortunately, medical negligence happens more often than people realize.
Examples of medical negligence and malpractice affecting infants and children include:
- Obstetrics-related errors
- Birth injuries
- Medical treatment errors
- Failure to diagnose, misdiagnosis, and delayed diagnosis
- Surgical errors
- Anesthesia-related errors and negligence
- Errors and negligence in patient monitoring
- Failure to warn parents of risks associated with treatment
- Medication-related errors, including prescription and dosage issues
Another example of medical malpractice that is more unique to pediatric patients is a failure to take appropriate safety measures for young patients. For example, when a child is not provided proper bed safety while in a medical facility, and they fall from the bed and are injured.
Malpractice Associated with Meningitis & Appendicitis
Two of the most cited examples of pediatric malpractice are cases involving diagnosing and treating meningitis and appendicitis in children. Frequently, children’s symptoms for these two conditions present differently than adults, making diagnosis and treatment more challenging. If an ER doctor, pediatrician, or other medical care provider is not paying proper attention, rushing, or otherwise negligent, they are more prone to misdiagnose, delay, or incorrectly treat the affected child.
Situations that can lead to malpractice in these cases include:
- Missing or ignoring symptoms
- Failing to order appropriate testing
- Delayed diagnosis or misdiagnosis
- Delaying treatment or applying the incorrect treatment
- Failing to prescribe the correct medication
- Failing to prescribe the correct dosage of medication
Malpractice when it comes to meningitis and appendicitis can have catastrophic consequences. With meningitis, failing to diagnose and treat the illness quickly enough can lead to permanent brain damage and death. Similarly, failure to recognize and appropriately treat appendicitis can result in rupture and even be fatal.
Was Your Child Harmed Due to Malpractice?
When your child has been harmed because of a medical error, it is overwhelming, confusing, and crushing. However, not all medical errors are the result of negligence or malpractice. Understanding if you and your family have suffered due to malpractice involved assessing the situation and determining the answer to these three things:
- Did the pediatrician or other care provider have an established duty to provide a certain standard of care?
- Did the medical care provider breach that duty of care?
- Was your child harmed as a result?
If you believe the answer is “yes” to all three of these questions, your child may have suffered as a result of medical malpractice. It is recommended that you reach out to an experienced attorney familiar with handling these types of cases. With the help of an attorney, you and your family may be able to recover compensation for your child’s injuries and hold the responsible party accountable for their actions.
Here at Golomb Legal., we understand what you are going through, and our medical malpractice attorneys can guide you.
We have experience handling all types of medical malpractice cases, including those involving:
- Birth injuries
- Cerebral palsy/Erb’s palsy
- ER errors
- Failure to diagnose
- Surgical and anesthesia errors
- Postoperative complications and infections
Schedule a consultation with our team today by calling our office at (215) 278-4449 or emailing us online.