Many of the advancements that have happened in the field of medicine are meant to reduce the number of errors in healthcare facilities. Unfortunately, medical errors still happen and when they do, the affected patients or their families will usually sue on the basis of medical malpractice. If these medical errors resulted to disabilities, the victims may consult with a social security disability lawyer to determine the benefits and compensation they are entitled to. Your social security disability lawyer can also help you in case your claims for disability benefits get rejected. Medical professionals, on the other hand, have the right to defend themselves by hiring a medical license defense attorney.
While there is a multitude of reasons for medical malpractice lawsuits, here are 5 of the most common.
Failure to Diagnose
Failure to diagnose or treat is medical malpractice that arises if there is a lapse in the type and level of care a patient receives. It often happens when a doctor examines a patient but does not provide a diagnosis on their illness, condition, or injury. Failure to diagnose also happens because some illnesses and conditions have similar symptoms which makes them harder to diagnose or treat.
Dismissing the presentation of symptoms by a patient, failing to order the right tests, and failure to send a patient to a specialist could all also be considered failure to diagnose or treat.
Childbirth Injuries
Childbirth injuries or death are tragic for any woman. Even where there is no death or injury to the mother, children who suffer injuries during childbirth usually have long-term disabilities. Childbirth injuries can also happen to mothers, where negligence can lead to life-threatening complications such as postpartum haemorrhage. Because of how debilitating childbirth injuries are, they are the number one reason for medical malpractice suits in many countries.
Surgical Errors
Despite the different regulations and safeguards that are in place to protect patients, surgical errors do happen. Surgical errors include different complications such as a surgeon making the wrong incision or working on the wrong area. Although most surgical errors are not life-threatening, many of them are still dangerous and can be debilitating.
Because many more people are suing for medical malpractice due to surgical errors, surgeons are required to have adequate and appropriate insurance. According to medical insurance provider Incision’s article titled “Medical Insurance Explained,” medical indemnity insurance is insurance that protects a surgeon during and after a claims process brought on by patients accusing the surgeon of physical or mental harm, injury, or death caused by the surgeon’s actions. Surgeons looking for adequate and proper coverage should turn to providers like Incision who provide medical indemnity insurance tailored towards surgeons that is built by specialists in the field. Incision also provides medical and legal advice and assistance, has one of the widest coverage plans for surgeons, and also provides cover for non-medical issues that come up in a surgeon’s practice but that are not included in their insurance policy.
Anaesthesia Errors
Although it is necessary for many types of surgeries, anaesthesia can be dangerous if not administered correctly. Anaesthesia errors happen when the healthcare provider does not take proper medical history or an anaesthesiologist giving too much anaesthesia. Anaesthesia errors can also happen in outpatient procedures and recovery rooms where anaesthesia is used in outpatient procedures such as dental procedures.
Prescription Errors
Prescription errors are also very common and happen when a patient is given the wrong medication, given medication they are allergic to, given medications that interact with other medications they are taking, or when a patient is not told how to take their medications correctly. Prescription errors mainly happen at the pharmacy or physician level, and many of them go unreported.
If you have suffered any injuries due to medical malpractice, you are well within your rights to sue for medical malpractice. One thing to note is that medical professionals win an overwhelming majority of malpractice lawsuits, so it is advised that you get a good lawyer before filing. If you are a medical professional, you should get adequate medical insurance or indemnity cover for when you inevitably get sued.
