Professional malpractice typically refers to negligence by a professional and it has been applied to many professions such as engineers, art experts, social workers, and pilots. However, it’s most common application is with healthcare providers such as doctors, nurses, surgeons, etc. A lawsuit involving a single patient and a single healthcare provider may have a narrow impact on society, meaning it may only have consequential value to the parties involved. The litigation process will determine how an injured patient will be compensated but medical malpractice attorneys have also found that the outcome of a lawsuit may mold how the profession will engage in its practice.
Broad Impact of Medical Malpractice Cases
Consider the case of medical professionals. How courts in a particular jurisdiction rule on different matters of liability and standards of care will undoubtedly affect how other doctors and nurses act in similar situations. Situations such as communicating with patients regarding treatment and procedures, undertaking surgery and diagnosis, avoiding negligence and malpractice liability, and safeguarding patients from clearly foreseeable injury and even more remote potential outcomes all will be molded by how courts have ruled in previous cases. When other doctors or nurses are found liable for medical negligence, lawyers believe that this does not merely deter those individuals from acting in a particular way. Medical malpractice attorneys believe that the profession as a whole, both within and outside of that jurisdiction, will alter the ways in which they practice. When patients are hurt due to alleged negligence or malpractice, a courts ruling sends a message to the community as a whole that certain behavior and activity will not be tolerated.
Medical Malpractice Attorneys in New Jersey and Philadelphia
If you or a family member have recently been the victim of medical negligence, it is possible that you would like to speak with our professionals. Please contact the Mininno Law Office for a free case evaluation, or call for a free consultation at (856) 833-0600 in New Jersey, or (215) 567-2380 in Philadelphia.
At all points in life, we face the threat of being abused; abused physically, emotionally, or even financially. Our 
The older you get the higher your chances of being taken advantage of become. Individuals that have a hard time performing everyday tasks, getting around by themselves, or who suffer from Dementia or Alzheimer’s are most often the victims of financial abuse. Parents who have children who live far away from them or each other are also at a higher risk. One sibling can misuse the parents’ assets without the others finding out.
Orchard-Post Acute Care in Whittier has been fined $75,000 and given a “AA” citation from the state of California for the death of a 78-year-old patient in 2008. The man, who suffered from Alzheimer’s and was recovering from a stroke, was admitted to the facility in July of 2008. Nursing home staff inserted a feeding tube into the man’s abdomen, as is often necessary for Alzheimer’s and Dimentia patients who may forget to eat or become aggressive at meal times. Soon after, the man began complaining of abdominal pain and was taken to the emergency room. While in the hospital, the doctors discovered that his feeding tube was inserted incorrectly, causing an inflamed abdomen lining, labored breathing, and septic shock. The man underwent an operation and was placed on a ventilator, but died six days later.
After an investigation by the state of Nevada, the Las Vegas Home Sweet Home had its license revoked and was forced to close in August. All of the residents were removed and placed in different facilities. 
According to the New Orleans Police Department, a 42-year-old man died after suffering second and third degree burns at the St. Charles Health Care Center. Around 9 p.m. on August 2, 2011, the man, who was wrapped in gauze for treatment, entered into an argument with another resident, 72-year-old Joann Everett, when his dressing ignited in flames. The nursing home staff extinguished the fire before the firefighters arrived on the scene. The victim was taken to Baton Rouge General Medical Center where he was treated for the burns that covered 80 percent of his body. The man died the next day as a direct result of the burns he sustained. The New Orleans Parish coroner determined the death a homicide. Everett is in custody at a local hospital and will be arrested and charged with homicide and aggravated arson. Police have not stated what started the argument, how the man’s gauze caught fire, or the victim’s name. 
Linda Johnson saw Dr. Ernest N. Pennington in January 2008 for impressions of her mouth that were being used as preparation for a bridge that she was having placed. According to the complaint that was filed by her 
Bishops Corner Skilled Nursing & Rehabilitation in West Hartford, Connecticut is facing a $710 fine for failing to properly administer antibiotic medications that were prescribed by a doctor to a severely demented patient who was experiencing wheezing accompanied by a cough. According to the facility’s nursing director, the medication was “not available in the medication cart and the nurses failed to check with their supervisor.” In another incident of 
Telesforo Vasquez III, 25, was facing counts of attempted sexual assault and injury to an elderly person, but was given ten years of probation during an August 22 hearing. On November 24, 2010, Vasquez reportedly exposed himself to a 91-year-old female resident of the Castle Pines nursing home in Lufkin, Texas where Vasquez worked. He directed the elderly woman to touch him sexually, but when she refused he pushed her down causing injuries to her hip and buttocks. Part of his probation includes restrictions that say he cannot work in a nursing home, hospital or rehabilitation center.
After almost two weeks of trial, a jury awarded the family of Dorothy Douglas a total of $91.5 million in damages. The jury found that the facility and the staff failed to feed and care for Douglas and indirectly caused her death. Dorothy Douglas suffered from Alzheimer’s disease, dementia, Parkinson’s disease and several other conditions. Prior to moving into a nursing home, while Douglas was living with her son, her heath had improved. She could speak, walk and recognize loved ones. But in 2009, during the short three-week period when Douglas was a resident of the Heartland of Charleston nursing home, her health deteriorated. When she was transferred to the Heritage Center nursing home, she had lost 15 pounds, was dehydrated and unresponsive. The day after she was transferred, September 24, 2009, Douglas died at the age of 87 at the Cabell Huntington Hospital.