Medical Malpractice: Three Common Mistakes in the Medical Field

Every year, millions of people turn to the nation’s physicians and hospitals for the medical care they need. They trust doctors, nurses, and other medical personnel to cure their illnesses and injuries and provide top-notch care. People in the medical field are held to a certain standard in this regard as well. By law, they’re required to do everything in their power to provide the level of care patients need. Unfortunately, many fall short. This leads to a broad range of medical malpractice cases. While you can go here to learn more about medical malpractice, the following types of cases are the most common.

Prescription Errors

Despite the many measures medical personnel have in place to ensure they give patients the right medications and correct dosages, prescription errors remain common. Patients may receive the wrong types of medications or too much or too little of those drugs. As a result, those medications don’t accurately treat their conditions. In some cases, improper medications or dosages that are too high can lead to additional injuries and health issues.

Mistakes During Surgery

Surgical errors still commonly take place as well. Surgeons continue to mix up procedures, which causes them to perform the wrong surgeries on patients. They may remove the wrong limb or organ or even operate on patients who never needed surgery in the first place. Medical personnel often leave foreign objects in patients as well, such as clamps and gauze. Either way, those mistakes can cause infections, permanent injuries, or death. At the very least, they bring about undue pain and suffering.

Misdiagnoses

Reports from the medical sector show 12 million patients or more receive the wrong diagnoses for their medical conditions each year. While it’s true that many conditions share similar symptoms, giving a patient the wrong diagnosis leads to ineffective treatment. Doing so can also cause excessive suffering or untimely death. This issue often leads to unnecessary medical bills as well.

These are the three most common types of medical malpractice cases attorneys handle in the United States. Though it’s often difficult to prove which medical personnel should be held responsible for patients’ injuries in these cases, it’s certainly not impossible. Attorneys have ample resources at their disposal to help build victims’ cases. If you feel you’re a victim of medical malpractice, reach out to legal professionals for help as soon as possible.