People trust their healthcare providers to take good care of them. They believe that their doctors are competent, well-trained, and always ready to act in patients’ best interests. However, physicians are far from infallible and in fact can be prone to making serious mistakes when treating patients. While you may have every reason to trust your own doctor, you should still watch out for these four common types of medical malpractice.

Medication Errors

Medical students extensively study pharmacology while in school and typically have a firm grasp on what kinds of medicines work best for an array of health conditions by the time they graduate. Even so, as doctors they can forget basic pharmaceutical details and accidentally prescribe or administer drugs that could harm you or a loved one. In rare instances, a doctor might act with intentional negligence or malice toward a patient and purposely give a medication that will cause serious health consequences. If you have been given the wrong medication and suffered as a result, you could have a case for medical malpractice.

Childbirth Injuries

Many women do not expect to be injured while giving birth. However, childbirth injuries happen with relative frequency in this country. Doctors may fail to deliver a baby in a timely manner or fail to take precautions to ensure a safe delivery. They also may neglect to take care of you by performing a cesarean delivery or stitching up an episiotomy after delivery. When you or your child are left sick or injured after delivery, you may have reason to retain an Idaho personal injury lawyer or one from your locale and pursue a medical malpractice case.

Anesthesia Complications

Many patients find it difficult to place their trust in anesthesiologists. They fear being put under for surgery or a medical procedure and not waking up properly, if at all. While most anesthesiologists are competent and know how much medication to administer safely, others fail to perform their duties in a competent manner. You could have a case if you ever suffer a health complication or adverse reaction to anesthesia.

Surgical Errors

Surgeons are expected to take the greatest amount of care with their patients. They generally take their time and ensure that the procedure is carried out thoroughly. However, incidences of botched surgeries and even foreign objects being left in patients’ abdomens have been reported. Before you undergo surgery, you should be aware that surgical errors count as a type of medical malpractice.

Doctor errors or malice can cause long-lasting consequences. These four common types of medical malpractice happen regularly in this country.