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Medical Malpractice Lawyers for Serious Errors
Medical malpractice typically occurs when a doctor, nurse, or other healthcare professional has been negligent, and that negligence has caused harm to a patient. For negligence to have occurred, the mistake made must have been one that another healthcare professional would not reasonably make in the same situation.
The worst type of medical malpractice is known as a never event, or a serious reportable event. A never event is an error so egregious, and so preventable, that it never should have occurred.
Because these errors are so shocking, many victims think they can file a lawsuit and easily win the case on their own. This is simply not true. Medical malpractice claims require an in-depth knowledge of both medicine and the law, and presenting a case to a jury requires experience. Anyone who has suffered a never event in Wilmington should immediately contact an experienced medical malpractice attorney at Rhine Law Firm, P.C.
Types of Never Events
There are 29 categories of never events recognized by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, grouped into seven categories:
- Surgical events
- Patient protection events
- Environmental events
- Criminal events
- Product/device events
- Care management events
- Radiologic events
Though never events are rare, their consequences are usually permanent or fatal for a patient.
Performing surgery on the wrong area of the body, for example; if a patient needed his left leg amputated but the right leg was amputated instead, that would be a surgical never event. In the same category are “wrong-patient” and “wrong-procedure” surgery. Surgical items that are left behind in a patient are probably the most common surgical never events. These sponges, gauze, scissors, scalpels, or other equipment can cause an infection, or potentially pierce internal organs.
However, the most common never events are two care management events:
- Death or serious injury to a patient from a fall while being cared for in a healthcare setting.
- Stage 3, stage 4, or unstageable bedsores acquired while being cared for in a healthcare facility.
Though not as newsworthy as surgical fires (another never event), falls and bedsores cause the most suffering to vulnerable patients. They should never happen while a patient is under the care of medical professionals, and that is why victims can file a medical malpractice claim for compensation, including additional medical bills, loss of ability to work, emotional distress, and more.
Contact a Lawyer Right Away After a Never Event
All medical malpractice can cause trauma to a patient. Due to the shocking nature of never events, they can be even more painful and upsetting. If you have suffered a never event or lost a loved one due to such an event, contact Rhine Law Firm, P.C., at (910) 772-9960. We will fight for your rights in court and take care of all the complexities of your case so you can focus on your recovery
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