News of a pregnancy can be a wonderful and exciting thing for women and couples as they get to bring a new family member into their lives. To ensure a smooth pregnancy and a healthy baby, women count on their obstetricians to provide quality pre-natal care and to manage the childbirth and delivery process. Unfortunately, many things can go wrong both before and during the birth and obstetricians must monitor both the mother and child carefully to minimize the risk of complications.
Obstetricians have a tough job and they are expected to exhibit a professional degree of skill when performing it. When an obstetrician fails to do so and provides poor care below the standard that a reasonable doctor with their background and area of specialization should provide, this can constitute medical negligence.
Under Georgia law, a doctor or healthcare provider who is negligent can be sued by an injured patient or by loved ones of a patient who has been killed by the medical negligence. Medical malpractice lawsuits provide the victim with compensation for lost wages, pain and suffering, emotional distress, medical costs and even wrongful death damages. An Atlanta medical malpractice lawyer can help in cases where obstetrics errors constitute medical malpractice by assisting victims in taking legal action to recover compensation.
The Dangers of Obstetrics Errors
In June of 2011, CRICO Strategies conducted a review of more than 800 medical malpractice cases arising from obstetrics errors. Based on their findings, clinical judgment errors were most common and occurred in 77 percent of malpractice claims based on obstetrics errors. Technical errors on the part of obstetricians were cited in 26 percent of cases. The remaining claims included ineffective supervision, inadequate documentation, and administrative failures.
These and other mistakes can be made both during the pregnancy and at the time of birth. However, the three most common mistakes that lead to malpractice claims for obstetrics errors include:
- Delayed treatment of fetal diseases, often due to a missed diagnosis or due to insufficient supervision and examination of the mother and baby during pregnancy.
- Improper execution of vaginal delivery. A huge number of things can go wrong when delivering the baby including failure to schedule a C-section or to provide a C-section quickly when a baby is in distress; failure to monitor the baby or mother’s condition; or the aggressive use of forceps or a vacuum during delivery.
- Improper management of pregnancy. This can include a failure to communicate with the mother, a lack of proper fetal health screenings, providing the wrong medication to mother or baby or other errors in judgment.
These and other obstetrics errors can have serious consequence for both mother and child The consequences can vary depending upon the type of error that was made, but the losses are often great. In fact, according to the American Medical Association.org, the average payment for a medical liability case arising from obstetrics errors is $947,000. This high dollar amount for average damages is because obstetrics errors so often lead to death or, in cases where the infant lives, to permanent lifelong impairments that can be crippling.
Atlanta Medical Malpractice Lawyers Can Help After Obstetrics Errors
Obstetrics errors can be made by obstetricians, perinatologists (high-risk OBs), nurse midwives, general care practitioners and labor and delivery nurses. If these or other healthcare professionals breach their obligation to provide reasonably competent care, they can be held accountable for what they have done.
Atlanta medical malpractice lawyers can help injured mothers or devastated family members to understand and pursue their legal options after an obstetrics error occurs. From proving that negligence was involved to demonstrating the extent of the damages suffered as a result of the obstetrics errors, Atlanta medical malpractice lawyers will help you with your case every step of the way.
If you or a loved one has been injured due to a medical error you need to speak with a medical malpractice attorney as soon as possible.
