Most medical malpractice lawsuits may be listed under one of the following main categories of negligence by a physician:
- Surgical errors
- Negligence related to pregnancy and childbirth
- Misdiagnosis
- Errors in prescribing or administering medication
- Emergency room negligence
Surgical Errors
It is not uncommon for surgeons or anesthesiologists to make mistakes during surgery. The most common surgical errors are failing to control bleeding, damaging a nerve, and leaving a foreign object like a medical sponge inside a patient. Surgeons have even performed the wrong surgical procedure or performed the operation on the wrong part of the body or on the wrong patient! The most common locations for surgical errors are the spine and gastrointestinal tract.
Anesthesia-related negligence typically involves administering too much anesthesia, too little anesthesia, or the wrong type of anesthesia to a patient.
Negligence Affecting Pregnancy and Childbirth
A vast number of risks and negative results are inherent in any pregnancy and delivery. Medical negligence affecting both the mother and/or child during pregnancy and childbirth is still a problem in the world, even in the twenty-first century.
However, simply because a pregnancy and/or delivery may not go as planned or expected does not mean the physician committed malpractice. Some of the leading types of medical malpractice during pregnancy and childbirth result from the following:
- Anesthesia administered negligently during labor or a Caesarian section
- Excessively long labor that causes injury to the mother and baby
- Excessive vaginal bleeding
- Gestational diabetes of the mother
- Hemorrhage of the mother during pregnancy or labor
- Placental abnormalities such as placenta previa or placental abruption
- Preeclampsia
- Premature babies
- Shoulder dystocia or other nerve injuries of the baby during labor
- Surgery performed negligently during a Caesarian section