Medical Malpractice Lawsuits: What Patients and Families Should Know

When a doctor, hospital, nurse, or other medical provider fails to provide proper care, and that failure causes serious harm, you or your family may have the right to file a medical malpractice lawsuit.

Medical malpractice cases are based on whether a provider failed to follow accepted standards of care. In many cases, the key question is whether another reasonably careful provider would have acted differently under the same circumstances.

Not every bad medical outcome is malpractice. Some complications can happen even when providers do everything right. But when a preventable medical error causes injury, worsening illness, or death, legal action may help patients and families seek accountability and compensation.

When a Medical Error May Be Malpractice

A medical injury may support a malpractice claim when a provider failed to act reasonably, such as by:

• Misdiagnosing or failing to diagnose a serious condition

• Delaying diagnosis or treatment

• Surgical errors

• Medication mistakes or dangerous drug interactions

• Anesthesia errors

• Failure to monitor a patient

• Emergency room mistakes

• Failure to obtain informed consent

• Hospital negligence or nursing errors

• Failure to recognize and respond to complications

These cases often require a detailed review of medical records, treatment timelines, provider notes, test results, and expert opinions to determine whether the standard of care was violated.