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Medical Malpractice Cases
By Sanjay Adhia, M.D.The four legal elements of medical malpractice include:
- A professional duty owed to the patient
- Deviation from the standard of care
- Resulting damage to the patient as a direct result of the deviation from the standard of care
The Four Legal Elements of Medical Malpractice Include:
- A professional duty owed to the patient
- Deviation from the standard of care
- Resulting damage to the patient as a direct result of the deviation from the standard of care
- Errors of fact
- Errors of judgment
- Medication errors
- Inappropriate relationships with patients
- Improper documentation
Dr. Adhia’s Case Files: Some memorable medical-malpractice cases.

Crossing the Line
Was a Patient Sexually Exploited by His Treater?
A man with a psychiatric disorder was admitted to a private psychiatric hospital. He alleged his treater exploited him sexually and introduced him to addictive substances. The man had a successful professional career and he alleged the impact on his work and family was destructive. He is now on psychiatric disability. I evaluated the Plaintiff at the request of his counsel. I considered complex records, given the circumstances under which he was admitted to the hospital and later outcomes before issuing my conclusions.
Double the Dose
Prescription overdose in a hospital raised serious questions about standard of care. An elderly patient with a history of psychosis was admitted to a psychiatric hospital. The hospital was transitioning from handwritten records to an electronic medical record system. This patient was ordered one dose of a long acting antipsychotic medication that last several weeks in the system. The administration of this medication was improperly documented.
Also
- Medication error in psychiatric hospital causing complications resulting in death of elderly male.
- Medical doctor refusing to continue psychiatric medication in jail resulting in severe withdrawals (DTs) which was not treated appropriately resulting in hospitalization.
- Elderly woman (former nurse) held illegally against her will in a psychiatric hospital
-
Polypharmacy in patient with obstructive sleep apnea resulting in death in a psychiatric hospital in South Carolina (“Polypharmacy”=multiple medications.)
Of interest, Psychopharmacology Discussion on Expertise page.