Five Medical Errors that Lead to a Medical Malpractise Lawsuit

The latest statistics, unfortunately, reveal that the third leading cause of death in America is due to medical malpractice. A John Hopkins study suggests that around 250,000 people die yearly due to medical malpractice.

If you feel that you or a loved one has been the victim of medical malpractice, hiring a competent attorney from law firms like Janet, Janet & Suggs can help you build and win a case. 

A medical error is an error made by a medical professional that is preventable by safety measures to monitor medical professionals’ efficiency. Errors can begin with emergency care with a high chance of improper transfusion, misdiagnosis, and misuse of drugs. Higher error rates are also observed with intensive care, owing to improper surgeries, under or over treatment, etc. Operating theatres and intensive care units are susceptible areas where small mistakes can prove deadly for a patient. These avenues see medical errors jeopardizing patients’ health and leading to serious malpractice lawsuits. 

Medical professionals must apply reason and restraint while dealing with a patient and ensure that their needs are put first, and the best possible outcome is achieved for the patient.

Following are some of the most common medical errors:

1) Misdiagnosis: The failure to diagnose a patient correctly has led to unnecessary and often lethal medicines being administered to patients. Sometimes even delayed diagnosis can be fatal for a patient. It could be due to a lack of proper testing facilities, improper or inadequate testing, lack of efforts to make a differential diagnosis, failure to consider the patient history, and all other applicable factors. A simple misdiagnosis made by a medical professional could lead to severe implications making it one of the leading errors in the field.

2) Lack of hospital resources: The post-covid healthcare professionals shortage has, unfortunately, led to understaffed hospitals, which also overburdens the existing staff. Most hospitals are constantly flooded with patients. Especially in emergency care, the high-stakes environment requires hospitals to be prepared with the proper resources to deal with patients. It also includes enough staff to manage the patients by giving them individual attention and personalized care. Most hospitals are unfortunately understaffed, which increases the burden on the team and can cause them to make hurried decisions and misdiagnose patients. Along with adequate staff, the hospitals must also ensure trained and qualified staff to treat patients to avoid medical errors.

3) Delayed treatment: Understaffed hospitals will leave some patients out of the radar for a long time. Some don’t receive timely treatment, and delays in medical attention could be lethal for patients. It has proved to be the third most common medical error that often goes unnoticed. Delayed treatment may discourage patients from getting medical attention and make the sickness worse.

4) Improper medication: When medical professionals don’t read up on patient history and give a rushed diagnosis, they may provide their patients with drugs they don’t need. Improper and unnecessary medication may aggravate their illnesses or even lead to an unhealthy dependency on these drugs. Physicians sometimes also over-medicate patients unnecessarily. It is a grave medical error that can sometimes even be lethal to the patient.

5) Mistakes in surgery: Errors made during surgery, including removal of wrong organs, improper administration of anesthesia, etc., are mistakes that cause discomfort, impairment, or death of the patient. 

What can you do to voice your concerns?

It is advisable to consult an attorney to get consultation and advice about your case. Specialized malpractice attorneys from trusted firms such as Janet, Janet & Suggs can provide legal assistance if required. 

Medical malpractice might leave you with illness or injury, and you have the right to file a medical malpractice lawsuit and get the compensation you deserve.