Children are Not Small Adults When it Comes to Medical Care
Babies and kids are, by definition, not adults. Their growing bodies and minds require nurturing from head to toe, spiritually, cognitively, physically, and nutritionally. When it comes to medical care, the same is true: Children are not adults, and their special needs must always be recognized by medical care professionals.
Young children and infants cannot express their medical issues to doctors in the same ways that adults can. A child who is in need of medical care may not be able to speak at all, or may have trouble properly describing how they are feeling. Because doctors cannot rely on verbal explanations from young patients, they must be acutely aware of the signs and symptoms of injury and illness. Medical professionals who fail to be aware of these limitations and exhibit this level of care when treating children can endanger their patients.
If your child has been injured or fallen ill while receiving medical care, contact The Haynes Firm today. Our medical malpractice lawyers will work to hold the people responsible for your child’s injuries accountable for their negligence.
Looking for help with your pediatric medical malpractice case? Call our Johnson City attorneys at
or contact us online today to Schedule your free consultation today.
Common Pediatric Emergencies
The medical needs of children are unique in multiple ways. There are some medical emergencies that are more common in children that adults, or are more commonly associated with pediatric medicine.
Some of the most common pediatric medical emergencies may include:
- Infections (such as meningitis)
- High fever
- Respiratory distress
- Acute abdominal pain
- Accidental overdose
- Seizures
The Responsibility of Medical Professionals to Protect Children
Medical professionals must be vigilant in recognizing signs of potential critical illness in children.
Hospitals providing pediatric emergency care must have plans in place to treat anticipated pediatric emergencies, and all medical providers who will be providing pediatric care must be properly trained to recognize signs and put the plan into action.
Attorneys handling these cases must also be accustomed to the peculiar features of pediatric medical malpractice cases because, as the saying goes: “Children are not just smaller adults.”
Our Experience
Our attorneys are familiar with cases involving failures on the part of medical care to recognize
important signs in children which can indicate serious brewing illnesses. These signs can come in the form of elevated or depressed heart rate, respiratory rate, or blood pressure, high fever, rash, lethargy, skin color, or changes in behavior, to name only a few. We have handled cases involving failure to recognize and manage pediatric sepsis and shock, failure to recognize and manage tick borne illnesses such as Rocky Mountain Spotted-Fever, and other failures on the part of medical care resulting in serious and avoidable injury to children. If medical professionals fail to recognize when a child’s body is communicating that they may be suffering from a critical illness, they place the child unnecessarily at risk for catastrophic consequences.
We recently contacted Mr. Haynes about a possible medical malpractice. Although we ultimately did not have a case he was easily contacted and exhausted all possible avenues to confirm procedures administered by medical staff were necessary and life saving. He reached out on his own accord to confirm what standard procedures were required and consulted with other medical specialists about our claim. I highly recommend his firm especially if you’re unsure of the validity of your claim.
Wrapped up the case quickly. Working tirelessly to get us settled and done! Olen Haynes Jr and all the staff at the Haynes firm are amazing! Highly recommend
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If you believe an infant or child has been injured due to medical negligence, do not wait to contact an attorney. You have a very limited time in Tennessee within which to file a medical malpractice case — the statute of limitations on these cases is one year from the date of injury or the discovery of an injury. Contact our Johnson City medical malpractice lawyers today to get started on your case.
