When residents of Burlington County think of medical malpractice, they probably think of cases involving doctor errors or wrong medications. One very common issue that can be medical malpractice is a simple failure to treat. This is especially true for common medical conditions with well-known treatments; if such conditions are missed or treatments aren’t issued in a timely manner, the issues can exacerbate, becoming much more serious and even leading to death.
One example of such a condition is appendicitis. It’s a condition most New Jersey residents are aware of, if only because of its role in a number of television shows. Most people know that when appendicitis is caught timely, the appendix is removed and the majority of patients move forward with a normal, happy life. When the issue isn’t resolved, however, the appendix can burst, poisoning other areas of the body and even resulting in death.
Heart attacks, strokes, cancer, diabetes and meningitis are all conditions with similar outcomes if not treated. Individuals with Lyme disease can also be treated easily, but failure to treat can cause conditions to worsen drastically. Even someone with allergies who is not treated properly and timely can suffer from life-threatening issues.
One thing to consider when determining if failure to treat is possible medical malpractice is whether or not a patient sought timely medical assistance. If a patient doesn’t see a doctor until the issue has transformed into a more serious matter, then it isn’t likely the fault of medical staff that treatment didn’t occur. However, if the patient did see someone, and was misdiagnosed or treatment was put off because of a professional decision, then a claim for medical malpractice could be possible.