Patients trust their doctors to help them recover from diseases and get their health back on track. Doctors, on the other hand, have a duty of care to deliver the best services and treatment to their patients. However, medical errors still happen, and patients end up suffering or even dying. Thankfully, they can claim compensation for their suffering if an error happens due to the negligence of the professional treating them. So it becomes important to understand the kinds of medical errors that may occur during treatment, whether you are a patient or doctor. Awareness enables patients to enforce their rights and doctors to steer clear of these errors. Here are the deadly mistakes that often land doctors in trouble.
Medication errors
The most common mistake surfaces in the form of medication errors, which can be much more serious than they sound. Typically, they happen when a practitioner prescribes a wrong medication or even a wrong dosage to the patient. It can cause adverse reactions, particularly if prescribed for someone who is allergic to the medication. Heavy doses of safe medicine can be dangerous, sometimes even fatal. Both parties must verify prescriptions before going ahead.
Communication glitches
The success of treatment greatly depends on good communication between patients and practitioners but it seldom happens in the real world. Practitioners have limited time, during which they need to examine, diagnose, and discuss treatment for the patient. The latter may end up with several key pieces of information not conveyed and questioned not answered. These gaps in communication can lead to health complications caused by faulty diagnosis and treatment.
Technical errors
Technical medical errors are associated with apparent mistakes during surgeries such as cutting an artery that causes excessive bleeding or amputating the wrong arm. The patient can rightfully file a lawsuit after a medical error of this scale because they deserve compensation. Such mistakes have serious implications, from life-changing injuries to even death. So the victim can claim a massive compensation by proving medical negligence. While this can have a major financial impact on the practitioner, there is also a risk of reputational loss.
Failure to use the requisite diagnostic tests
If a physician skips the requisite diagnostic tests and misdiagnoses a patient, it is regarded as gross negligence even though they may have done it just to save time. A wrong diagnosis is dangerous because the patient may end up getting treatment for a disease they do not have. This can be a financial burden while the real condition worsens because of a lack of treatment.
Delay in treatment
The doctor may be responsible for delaying the treatment unnecessarily, whether due to negligence or sheer lack of attention. They may even be liable for starting the treatment yet not following up adequately. Also, discharging someone from the hospital without completion of treatment is also regarded as malpractice. Delayed treatment can often bring complications and the condition may even deteriorate beyond resolution in some cases.
Whatever the medical error may be, it needs to be taken seriously because of the injuries and damages it may inflict. The patient must seek both medical and legal guidance to get help for restoring their health and finances.
