Medical malpractice and failing to meet the standards of care

Every medical professional in Louisiana is required to meet certain standards of care when treating and/or attending to patients. When those standards are not met, it is the patients that suffer. If you or a member of your family suffered an injury at the hands of a doctor, nurse or other member of staff, it could be considered medical malpractice.

Mistakes are made for any number of reasons, but inadequate training and lack of staff are sometimes cited in hospitals. Doctors may misdiagnose a patient’s condition. This could mean that a patient receives the wrong treatment and/or medication. It also means that there will be a delay in the correct diagnosis, which, in some cases, can be life-threatening.

Surgeons may operate on the wrong body part, leave a foreign object in a patient, or even nick another organ, vein or artery. Even if a surgical procedure goes well, if a person’s post-operative care is not up to standard, an individual could contract an infection or develop an uncontrolled bleed. Nurses can give the wrong dosage of a medication or the wrong medication altogether. Furthermore, a nurse may fail to properly monitor a patient or report a change in a patient’s condition.

Regardless of the reason, there is no excuse for Louisiana medical professionals failing to give their best effort to every patient they see. If you believe that you or a family member did not receive the appropriate standard of care, an attorney can review your case to determine whether you should file a medical malpractice claim. Not only could you receive an award of damages if the court determines negligence led to the injury, but it may mean that another person could be spared the same negligent treatment.