The Tragedy Of Medical Malpractice

It started out as an ordinary sore throat. That was all; nothing more than a hoarse voice and the symptoms of a common cold. The scheduled outpatient procedure should have gone seamlessly, it being a simple laryngoscopy to examine her voice box and vocal cords. How quickly things changed. One moment the famous comedian was relatively healthy and the next she was lying unresponsive on an operating table, no longer able to breathe. This was due to a severe case of medical malpractice that occurred right here in our own country just two years ago. It resulted in the death of an American pioneer of stand-up comedy, as well as the loss of a mother, wife, and friend. This tragedy of medical malpractice is occurring far too often with too few consequences, …show more content…
Today, lawsuits filed by injured patients claiming malpractice against a doctor is common. To collect compensation, the patient must prove that he/she was provided with faulty medical care resulting in injury. If the injured patient does prove this, the state court calculates the monetary damages that must be paid in compensation. Two things are taken into account: actual economic loss such as income and the cost of future medical care, and noneconomic loss like the pain and suffering the patient endures. However, four legal elements must be proven when petitioning medical malpractice: (1) a professional duty owed to the patient; (2) breach of such duty; (3) injury caused by the breach; (4) resulting damages. Only when these requisites have been met is monetary compensation …show more content…
Walking in those doors means that as a patient, you are trusting these incredibly intelligent and talented people with your life because they have the degree, the job, and the salary that says they deserve that trust. Their job is to take care of their patient and failing to do so, getting caught up in who their patient is, where she came from, and what she does, is not acceptable. It leads to distractions, carelessness, inattention, and negligence. The doctors at Yorkville Endoscopy got so caught up in the lifestyle of their patient that they forgot who she was as a person. In their neglect, they overlooked the family, friends, and loved ones the patient had, they didn’t think about those waiting for their mother, wife, and grandmother outside the hospital room. And it was only once she died that the doctors realized what their mistakes cost not only them – their jobs and reputations – but what it cost those left