Medical mistakes can leave victims suffering from lifelong consequences, and they can also leave these individuals struggling to recover compensation. Medical errors occur in a wide variety of ways, but there are some common trends when it comes to preventable medical errors. Here, we want to review the most common types of mistakes that occur in the healthcare setting.
Medical Errors – The Third Leading Cause of Death
In 2016, researchers at Johns Hopkins stated that medical mistakes are the third leading cause of death in this country. At the time, this seemed like an unbelievable statistic, but the reality is that medical errors do occur every day, and they are vastly underreported. Researchers say that more than 250,000 individuals lose their lives due to medical mistakes each year.
Common Types of Medical Malpractice
Medical mistakes can occur in a wide variety of ways, commonly as a result of the following:
- Misdiagnosis. Medical professionals are not going to get a diagnosis correct every single time, but if they skip the steps necessary to reach a diagnosis, this could lead to a medical error. Misdiagnosis can lead to delayed treatment or a person not receiving the necessary treatment at all.
- Surgical errors. Surgical mistakes should not occur, but they do. This can include major mistakes like leaving foreign objects inside of a person, operating on the wrong person or the wrong body part, or performing the wrong surgery. Additionally, surgical errors can also include mistakes made by anesthesiologists during a procedure or if medical professionals fail to adequately monitor a patient after the procedure is complete.
- Failure to treat. Failure to treat occurs when there is a correct diagnosis, but the medical professionals fail to treat the condition in accordance with accepted standard medical practices. This can include discharging a patient too soon, not providing proper follow-up care, or making the condition worse by treating it incorrectly.
- Birth injuries. Birth injuries can harm a mother and child, and this can lead to lifelong consequences. Birth injuries can include the misuse of birthing tools such as vacuum devices or forceps, failure to perform a C-section when one is indicated, failing to monitor a mother and child’s vital signs, and more.
- Medication errors. Medication mistakes can occur in a variety of ways in the healthcare setting. This can include giving a patient the wrong medication or the wrong dosage of medication or failing to provide the correct medication at all.
What Happens After a Medical Error Occurs?
If you or somebody you care about has sustained an injury or illness due to a medical mistake, reach out to an attorney as soon as possible. A Santa Ana medical malpractice lawyer will have a thorough understanding of the laws related to these claims and will know the proper process of ensuring you are evaluated and getting the claim filed appropriately. It is imperative to work with an attorney as soon as you think you may have been harmed as a result of a medical mistake. These claims are complicated, and you can be sure that the other side will have a legal team ready to back them up. You need legal assistance as well.
