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Medical malpractice is an unfortunate reality of the industry that many patients and doctors deal with each year. In the US alone, more than 250,000 people die every year from various mistakes made in hospitals and medical facilities.
Negligence in the medical field is treated very seriously; however, doctors are humans and they are still prone to mistakes just like anybody else. Let’s look at a few of the main types of medical malpractice cases and how they affect patients and doctors alike.
Misdiagnosis
Doctors and physicians are trained for years before they are allowed to practice medicine. Misdiagnoses are rather common among the profession, but there is a good reason. The human body is extremely complex. Many conditions are misdiagnosed because the symptoms are very similar to another disease or illness. Patients who are not always entirely honest with their healthcare team can also cause a false diagnosis, especially if they are taking medication or drugs that may be contributing to the issue.
Complex diseases like cancer and lupus can take years for symptoms to be noticed, and are usually just accompanied by some slight pain. Lupus specifically, is often left untreated because the first signs are widespread non-specific pain, hair loss, and anxiety which could also be caused by a hundred other conditions.
Errors in Medications
Whether the patient is given the wrong medication or the dosages have been incorrectly prescribed, this is still a form of medical malpractice. Some people have been prescribed the right medication but have an underlying condition that no one is aware of. This could have caused an adverse reaction to the medicine. In this case, it becomes more difficult to determine who was at fault, if anyone. It can be both the patient and the doctor who cause this error.
For example, a penicillin allergy can result in shortness of breath or hives. It is only when someone has been prescribed antibiotics for the first time that they learn about the allergy. Although medication errors occur for a variety of reasons, they are still considered medical negligence cases that need an expert legal team such as Romanucci Blandin Law to look into. The wrong medication can cause more than a few minor symptoms, and some even result in death.
Surgery Complications
Any type of surgery has some inherent risk no matter how simple the procedure. Some patients have reported waking up in the middle of an operation. Whether due to a brain condition or not enough anesthesia, this can be a frightening experience for anyone.
Other surgical complications could be from small medical equipment like gauze being left behind inside the patient. Medical negligence will be classified based on the circumstances surrounding the surgery, and oftentimes are isolated incidents. Doctors don’t instinctively look to harm a patient, but accidents and mistakes happen.
Medical malpractice is something that needs to be addressed anytime a patient experiences negative effects from a medical procedure or drug. More serious cases result in paralysis, secondary conditions, and even death, but it is a very complicated issue that needs careful attention from the right people.
