Medical malpractice is a breach of a medical professional’s duty to provide competent care. When this duty is breached, patients can suffer severe injury or even death. Below, review five of the most common errors that may give patients grounds for medical malpractice claims. If you were a victim of any of these forms of medical malpractice, the Cincinnati medical malpractice attorneys of O’Conner, Acciani & Levy are available to assist you. If you have a viable claim, we are prepared to gather the evidence needed to support your claim and pursue negligent health care providers to try to obtain fair compensation for your medical bills, lost wages, and pain and suffering. Learn the legal options that may be available to you by scheduling a consultation today.
1. Misdiagnosis And Failure To Diagnose
According to CBS News, approximately 12 million people who receive outpatient care are victims of some form a misdiagnosis each year. Misdiagnosis and failure to diagnose illnesses are common errors due to the similarity of symptoms different illnesses present, and because less-common symptoms are difficult to accurately diagnose. A proper diagnosis is critical for a patient’s care. The correct diagnosis allows a physician to create an effective treatment plan. If a patient receives an improper diagnosis or none at all, he or she will not receive appropriate treatment, which may result in severe personal injury or death.2. Prescription Errors
Medication errors are a common mistake that often goes unreported by patients. An error with a prescription can happen in many ways:- The doctor makes a mistake when writing the prescription
- Hospital staff incorrectly administers a medication, such as by providing the incorrect dosage
- A pharmacist fills the medication incorrectly
- Dangerous drug interactions are not recognized before the medications are taken
3. Surgical Errors
Mistakes during and after surgery can have devastating consequences to a patient, including infection, medical complications or death. Surgical error medical malpractice claims often result from poor planning before the operation. A surgeon’s actions can also be the cause of a surgical error, such as operating under the influence of drugs or alcohol. Types of surgical errors include:- Operating on the wrong part of the body
- Performing the wrong operation
- Making an incision in an incorrect location
- Leaving a foreign object inside the patient
- Operating on the wrong patient
- Administration of incorrect medications or dosages
- Neglecting to follow postoperative procedures
- Not providing the patient with the proper instructions for postoperative recovery
4. Anesthesia Errors
Errors involving anesthesia can cause permanent injuries or death. Common errors involving anesthesia include:- Failing to evaluate a patient’s medical history to identify possible complications
- Failing to tell the patient critical preoperative instructions, such as not eating or drinking before the procedure
- Administering too much anesthesia
- Improperly placing the breathing tube
- Not monitoring the patient’s vital signs while he or she is under anesthesia
- Using defective medical equipment
5. Childbirth Errors
Childbirth errors may affect the mother or infant, and can occur during pregnancy, labor, delivery or after the baby is born. While the mother is pregnant, negligent medical care could harm both the mother and child. Prenatal childbirth errors include:- Misdiagnosis or failure to diagnose pregnancy-related medical conditions
- Failure to diagnose a contagious disease the mother could pass to the child
- Failure to diagnose birth defects
- Not anticipating possible complications from a baby’s size
- Not responding to fetal distress signs
- Not noticing the umbilical cord is wrapped around the baby
- Not performing a cesarean section when it is necessary
- Not using vacuum extractors or forceps correctly
- Cerebral palsy
- Brain injuries
- Paralysis
- Bone fractures
