In New York, when people suffer an unexpected medical event or they lose a loved one, they will automatically think that it was because of a medical mistake. This frequently leads to a medical malpractice lawsuit.
Medical professionals are an easy target. In some instances, mistakes were made. However, there are also situations where they are blamed when they could not have prevented the outcome or were not responsible for it.
When thinking about a defense, it can be effective to think about what types of errors are common. This can give the doctors, nurses and other staff members a heads up on how to prepare to avoid the mistakes and counteract allegations of wrongdoing.
Know the most common medical errors and how to forge a defense
The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality provides data regarding medical mistakes. According to AHRQ, an estimated 10% of patients has some level of harm inflicted on them when they are hospitalized. Still, that also says that most patients are treated properly and face no unexpected problems.
It says the most frequently occurring errors include:
- Medication mistakes
- Surgical mistakes
- Hospital infections
- Misdiagnoses
- Falling
- Pressure sores
- Misidentifying a patient
- Giving patients the wrong type of blood
- Mistakes in documentation and communication
- Equipment issues
When there is a medication error, it could have been the wrong medication, an inaccurate dosage, a failure to give it in a timely manner and other issues. Perhaps the patient made the mistake themselves or there was an error with the pharmacy or manufacturer.
Surgical errors include operating on the wrong body part, leaving equipment inside the patient, or complications that came about and seem to have been due to the doctor and staff doing something they should not have done. This could be a misinterpretation of what occurred.
People become ill quite often when they are already hospitalized, but suffering from an infection does not necessarily mean there was a lack of hygiene or cleanliness.
A patient being misdiagnosed could be alleged for myriad reasons. Some conditions or illnesses have different warning signs. Still, that does not automatically mean that the medical professionals made an error. The records, patient history, evidence and how the alleged misdiagnosis occurred needs to be scrutinized as part of a defense.
Medical professionals need to protect their livelihood
A medical malpractice claim can be costly financially, but it can go beyond that and be challenging in other ways as well. It can damage their reputation and hinder their practice. In many circumstances, they did not do anything wrong and adhered to the correct standard of care. There could have been a negative outcome without a medical misstep.
Having comprehensive guidance and a collaborative plan to combat the medical malpractice claim is imperative. This is key for doctors, hospitals, clinics, group practices, individuals and nursing homes. The entire case should be looked at from the beginning to determine what happened. It is also useful to have medical experts to help and provide a defense. Acting quickly and decisively is important and calling for help is key.
Subscribe To This Blog’s Feed