What’s the reason pediatricians are often sued for malpractice?

On Behalf of | Jul 3, 2020 | Medical Malpractice

Doctors and other medical providers make mistakes virtually every day when treating patients. While many of the errors that they make are unavoidable, countless others are entirely preventable. When it comes to the practice of pediatrics, diagnostic errors are the most typical issue that doctors and hospitals get sued over.

The most common error that doctors make when treating pediatric patients between the ages of one and 17 is delaying in assigning them a diagnosis. It’s not uncommon for doctors to give their pediatric patients the wrong ones either.

Children between the ages of one and nine are most vulnerable to falling victim to delayed or incorrect diagnoses. Kids between the ages of 10 and 17 are most apt to suffer surgical treatment-related errors.

The most common specialists sued as part of medical malpractice claims involving children over 1-month-old are pediatricians, orthopedic surgeons and emergency medicine physicians.

Obstetricians are the most commonly named defendants when pediatric patients, one-month-old or younger, are involved. Most of these cases center around errors that occurred during the labor and delivery process.

The average successful claim has a patient payout of $630,456. The average defense cost to litigate such a case is $157,502. Claims involving neonatal patients tend to have the highest payout. Settlements average $936,843 in such cases. Litigating such cases costs an average of $187,117.

Parents who file claims on behalf of their children ages 10 through 17 often receive an average payment of $386,849 if they’re successful in winning their case. The average defense cost in these instances is $129,816.

If your child has been the victim of a medical error due to a misdiagnosis or diagnostic error, they may be entitled to monetary relief. How much they’re entitled too may vary depending on the severity of their impairments. You owe it to your child and other Georgia pediatric patients that come behind them to hold a negligent doctor accountable for their actions. A medical malpractice attorney here in Augusta can help you do just that.