If you have been injured as a result of medical malpractice, which is defined as being negligence on the part of doctors or nurses that cause you additional injury, then you may wonder if you have any recourse be it a malpractice suit or simply an apology from the hospital. You may be amazed at how often this happens in our hospitals across the country. Perhaps you are afraid to take any action because of a waiver you signed or because you are afraid to fight against the healthcare system. The truth is that medical malpractice occurs far more than people think. At first the statistics may seem rather small. After all, only about one-half of 1% of doctors are brought up on sanctions each year but consider this. Those numbers equate to approximately 200,000 injuries and possibly 98,000 deaths due do hospital errors each year! Looking at it that way, those aren’t numbers to chuckle at. Other areas of concern are private practices outside of hospitals, where abuse to patients actually rises. One study conducted with family practitioners showed that almost 50% of doctors recalled a patient death due to a doctor error. Only one in four of those cases resulted in a malpractice suit. In looking at why these accidents happen, you have to consider part of the way our medical system is setup. If you consider the amount of time residents and surgeons spend working, it is not surprising there are so many errors committed. Some surveys showed that up to 25% of residents spent 80 hours per week on call. Surgeons reported being on call up to 72 hours per week as well. Can you imagine driving 80 hours per week and not being in an accident? Can you imagine doing anything for that length of time in a week without making a mistake? So what can you do if you think you are the victim of medical malpractice? The first thing you have to do before visiting a doctor or hospital is to do some research to see if there are any suits filed against that doctor or hospital. If you already feel you are a victim of medical malpractice, then don’t let that waiver you signed keep you from pursuing action against the doctor or hospital. And because some states have a statute of limitations as short as one year, you must quickly retain a lawyer who focuses on malpractice suits. A good lawyer will be able to attain your records from the hospital and have a medical expert review them. There may be many questions that need answered with regards to the procedures used in treating you or your loved one. Do not be concerned about the amount of time that such a lawsuit may drag on. If there is merit and validity to your case, the vast majority of hospitals and doctors will settle out of court simply to avoid the high degree of public visibility that such a case would produce for them with tremendously negative publicity. Hospital workers and doctors are people too, so they are all capable of making mistakes. That is why processes are in place to ensure people aren’t injured through negligence. If you think you or your family is the victim of medical malpractice, don’t be afraid to fight for damages that will ease your suffering for years to come. For more insights and additional information about Medical Malpractice as well as finding a wealth of resources to assist with in pursuing a possible medical malpractice lawsuit, please visit our web site at http://www.malpracticeinfonow.com
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