According to Diederich Healthcare, there’s a total of $3.8 billion medical malpractice payout in the US in 2017. Though it’s 2.54% less than in 2016, it’s still a lot. Medical practice happens when a medical professional fails to give proper health care service or treatment.
When doctors and nurses attend to you, your health and life are in their hands. Because the job is so delicate, they usually have to undergo years of training before they can officially work as a medical professional. A license does not make them perfect, however. There are times when they make a mistake. When that mistake costs you your health or, worse, your loved one’s life, it becomes a huge issue. The doctor is then required to compensate you for the damages you’ve incurred. But to get that compensation, you need to get the help of a professional like Medical Malpractice CPR Law.
So what kinds of mistakes do medical professionals usually make?
Wrong Diagnosis
Misdiagnosis is perhaps the most common malpractice complaint. This happens when the doctor has failed to analyze your symptoms accurately and has given you the wrong diagnosis. Thus, he exposes you to two kinds of risks. First, you lose your chance to treat your real illness. Secondly, you will take the wrong medication, which may generate another type of illness.
Be careful when you accuse your physician of this complaint as it can easily backfire. If the wrong diagnosis was made because you failed to give accurate information about your condition, then you might be fully or partially liable for the mistake.
Negligence Before and During Childbirth
You go to a physician and obstetrician to make sure that you and your baby will be safe during childbirth. However, when your doctor fails to detect and treat an illness that will endanger you, the baby, or both, then you can file a case against him.
The most common medical mistakes a physician can make during childbirth include the failure to prepare for birth complications, failure to respond to critical fetal signs, failure to order cesarean surgery when needed, and failure or wrong usage of the vacuum extractor.
Medication Errors
According to the World Health Organization, millions of people are injured and killed due to medication errors. What’s more, about 42 billion dollars are lost every year. Medication errors can happen when the doctor has put the wrong prescription or dosage. Improperly using equipment to administer drugs and handing the wrong kind of medication over the counter are also considered an error.
Anesthesia Errors
Surgeons use anesthesia so that the patient will not be able to feel pain during an operation. However, it can sometimes be more dangerous than a surgery mistake. An error in the anesthesia dosage can permanently injure you. It can cause brain damage or death. Failure to monitor the vital signs of the patient and giving too much anesthesia are some common errors of surgeons.
Conclusion
If you think you’ve been a victim of any of the things mentioned above, you should contact your legal advisor right away.