The Most Common Types of Medical Malpractice

Watching a loved one suffer from an excruciating illness or injury is painful. What’s even more painful, however, is when their condition is worsened—or in some cases, induced—by medical negligence.

 Here are a few common examples of medical malpractice.

Misdiagnosis

One of the most common forms of medical malpractice claims stems from misdiagnosis. As the name suggests, this occurs when a doctor or healthcare professional gives an incorrect diagnosis to the patient after examining them. This can then result in the patient getting incorrect treatment or not getting any treatment at all, based on what the medical professional determined.

Among the most commonly misdiagnosed illnesses are cancer and heart attack. Since these are life-threatening illnesses, failure to diagnose them correctly can have drastic consequences and may result in the patient’s death. Other common examples of misdiagnoses include healthy individuals being diagnosed incorrectly with a condition they don’t have, and patients being told that they have no discernible illness.

Delayed diagnosis is another form of misdiagnosis that also contributes to the growing number of medical malpractice cases . This refers to those cases in which the doctor initially made an incorrect diagnosis because of their own negligence. For instance, they may have been less thorough during the initial examination, missing out on crucial observations, or didn’t order a necessary test or seekfurther information.   

Surgical Errors

Medical malpractice also occurs in the form of surgical errors. These are acts of negligence or mistakes made during the surgical procedure that adversely affect the patient’s life adversely. For example, surgical error may occur if:

· The wrong amount of anesthesia is administered, resulting in the patient’s death

· Surgical instruments are left inside the patient’s body

·  The wrong procedure is performed.The procedure is performed at an incorrect site

· Use of Non-sterile Surgical medical equipment was used for the procedure

· Nerves, tissues, or organs were damaged because of negligence

While patients sign a consent form before heading into surgery that clearly states the risks that may be involved, these acts of negligence aren’t counted as mere risks.

Prescription Drug Errors

Prescribing the wrong type of drug also counts as medical malpractice. Incorrect prescriptions can have life-threatening effects on the patients, and may lead to further health complications. In more severe cases, it can also result in the patient’s death.

In addition to this, incorrect administration of prescription drugs is also considered as medical malpractice. This is especially dangerous if the patient already uses other medication, as the new (incorrect) dose of a recently prescribed drug can react negatively with it once consumed.

Lisa Douglas is a licensed registered nurse and attorney who can help you file a medical malpractice claim in Arkansas and Texas.

Call her office today for more details!  

 

 

 

 

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