Medical professionals must complete extensive educational requirements. They have to meet the standards imposed by their employers and professional licensing organizations. A patient seeking care from a doctor they have known for years or from an unknown professional at an emergency room expects to receive competent care.
Unfortunately, some people experience medical malpractice when they require the support of a physician and other licensed medical professionals. Malpractice effectively involves deviating from current best practices and failing to provide the standard of care that another competent professional could offer.
Malpractice comes in many different forms depending on the unique needs of the patient and the medical setting in which they seek assistance. That being said, there are several categories of malpractice that tend to be more common than others, with the three below causing negative consequences for thousands, if not millions, of people every year in the United States.
1. Diagnostic errors
Effective medical treatment begins with an accurate diagnosis. Diagnostic errors are somewhat common. They lead to delays and treatments, unnecessary medical care or premature mortality in the worst cases. Failing to diagnose a patient is one common form of malpractice. Misdiagnosing a patient by reaching the wrong conclusion about the cause of their symptoms, also known as misdiagnosis, is also relatively common.
2. Medication errors
Doctors prescribe medications to patients, and other health care professionals may administer those medications in a hospital or similar setting. Some medication errors involve recommending a drug to a patient who has a clear contraindication. Other times, physicians may prescribe a medication that could interact with another drug that they take. Nurses and other professionals could also make mistakes when distributing medications or setting up intravenous (IV) drug suspensions in a medical environment.
3. Surgical errors
Although patients might assume that surgical mistakes are rare, they are more common than people might expect. Surgeons sometimes perform the wrong procedure on patients or operate on the wrong body part. An anesthesiologist can mix up drugs or administer the wrong dose. Surgeons and their support staff may fail to account for tools, leading to retained foreign bodies that require revision procedures.
People negatively affected by medical malpractice may have legal grounds for a lawsuit. Pursuing a medical malpractice lawsuit successfully can help people recover lost wages, pay for their medical care and hold physicians or their employers accountable for substandard medical support.