Medical Malpractice Facts — What You Need to Know Right Now

Medical malpractice is one of the most dangerous issues facing our developing society today. Even those we turn to when we’re unhealthy make mistakes from time time, and it could affect your quality of life. If this has happened to either you, or someone you know, odds are you may be entitled to a financial award of some kind as compensation for damages you may have incurred or opportunities you may be missing out on due to malpractice.

If you or a loved one have ever found yourself in the unfortunate position of requiring the services of a firm or organization that seeks to help individuals earn their due compensation from a medical malpractice suit, it can’t hurt to brush up on some medical malpractice facts. Doing so, even if you are not in an emergency, can be helpful, too, in case the day ever comes.

Keeping that in mind, here are some fast healthcare and medical malpractice facts:

1. Analysis of birth injury statistics show that one in seven babies born in the U.S. will suffer from one of two types of cerebral palsy — either the commonly known cerebral palsy or the lesser known Erb’s palsy.
2. Around 28,000 babies are born each year with a birth injury, which breaks down to:
   • 2,333 per month
   • 538 per week
   • 76 per day
   • three per hour
3. Out of all the plaintiff patients (victims of medical malpractice) surveyed recently, around 60% of them were women.
4. Surgical errors are the most common basis for a claim in most inpatient medical malpractice suits, totaling around 34% of all claims.
5. Knowing what to do when a birth injury occurs is one of the most important steps in protecting yourself. The average compensation for inpatient malpractice suits was around $363,000, with the average outpatient suit awarding damages of around $290,000.
6. Despite their skill and training, the Journal of the American Medical Association found that medical negligence by healthcare professional beats out all leading causes of death in the U.S. with the exception of heart disease and cancer.

It might be time to start thinking about that apple-a-day quota!