4 of the Most Serious Acts of Medical Malpractice

Medical malpractice refers to a preventable act of patient harm that occurs as a direct result of medical professional negligence. Some errors that are made by medical professionals may not only seem minor, but human; not everyone can be perfect at all times. Other mistakes, however, are less forgivable, and cause serious and devastating patient injuries. The following consider four of the most serious acts of medical malpractice, and what to do if you are a victim of malpractice yourself:

1. Operating on the Wrong Patient

It seems impossible, but it happens – instances of wrong-patient operation are rare, but may characterize as much as five percent of wrong-site surgeries, according to the Agency for Healthcare Quality and Research. One study suggests that wrong-site surgeries, which include wrong-patient surgeries, happen in about one of very 112,000 surgical procedures, but does not take into account all surgical procedures performed in the United States. Wrong-patient surgeries are preventable, and often occur due to patient name mix up or other miscommunication errors amongst patients or/and operating room staff.

2. Errors During Administration of Medication

Doctors have a duty to exercise a high level of care when prescribing or administering a patient medication. When an error is made, the harm to the patient may be serious, leading to adverse reaction or even death.

Errors during administration of medication are relatively common. The 2015 Medscape Malpractice Report found that errors in medication characterize four percent of all medical malpractice lawsuits in the United States.

3. Abusing Elderly Nursing Home Residents

Nurses and doctors who work in nursing home facilities are held to a similar standard of care as are other medical professionals, and therefore can be held liable for medical malpractice when negligence occurs. One of the most egregious types of medical malpractice is the abuse of nursing home residents. While knowing the exact rates of nursing home abuse is difficult – many cases of abuse go unreported – it is believed that nearly 10 percent of elderly persons may be victims of abuse, according to the National Center on Elder Abuse.

4. Failure to Diagnose

A doctor’s job is to pay close attention to their patient, run proper tests and examinations, and make a reasonable diagnosis based on medical evidence. Too often, however, doctors fail to do this for whatever reason. When a patient’s condition is not properly diagnosed, the condition often worsens over time, causing undue harm. The same Medscape malpractice report cited above reveals that a failure to diagnose is the most common types of malpractice in the United States, and was the reason behind 31 percent of medical malpractice lawsuits in 2015.

Contact a Rockford Medical Malpractice Attorney

At Fisk & Monteleone LTD., our experienced Illinois medical malpractice attorneys understand what you are going through and the emotional distress you must be suffering. We want to help you recover the damages to which you are entitled by advocating for you through the medical malpractice claim’s process. To schedule a free consultation with our team where you can learn more about filing a lawsuit today, call us now at 815-209-9030.