The world holds the medical profession in high regard because it helps in preserving life. That is what makes cases of medical negligence so significant. People dedicate their lives to healing and helping others. As a patient, you typically seek out a doctor, hospital or specialist based on reputation. We expect doctors and hospitals to provide medical treatment with all the knowledge and skill they have access to. We trust medical professionals to carry out the necessary investigation before treating us, and except in cases of dire emergency, we believe they will obtain our informed consent before proceeding with any major treatment, surgical operation, or even invasive investigation.
Therefore, it can be a uniquely traumatic experience when individuals are injured due to the negligence, carelessness, or reckless attitude of their staff. And yet recent studies have indicated that over 250,000 deaths in the United States per year can be attributed to medical errors.
DID YOU KNOW: Data from 2012-2016 shows the state of Florida ranks in the top 10 in the United States for:
- Annual malpractice claims per 1 million residents
- Annual malpractice claims per 100 practicing physicians