Medical errors are becoming increasingly common throughout the United States. When you go to a hospital, you expect that the professionals there are ready to treat you and provide you with the care you would expect – after all, you went there so that you could leave better. Unfortunately, the mistakes of nurses, doctors and other care professionals can turn deadly and leave patients in more pain than when they originally arrived at the hospital.
Not all errors result in malpractice; instead, it depends on how that medical error occurred. If you have been the victim of one of these common medical errors seen in hospitals, contact a personal injury attorney right away to discuss your case.
Misdiagnosis or Delayed Diagnosis
This is one of the most common errors in U.S. hospitals. When a doctor misdiagnoses a condition or fails to diagnose properly for some time, the patient could miss out on treatment opportunities that could have prevented harm, death or long-term treatments.
Misdiagnosis can occur without malpractice, too. If a physician misdiagnosed a patient, but used all tests and diagnostic tools at their disposal, then they may not be guilty of malpractice. Instead, a physician must have blatantly ignored symptoms, failed to perform tests, ignored test results, or have been negligent in some other capacity.
Childbirth Injuries
Fetal injuries are sometimes caused by medical malpractice and, unfortunately, are often preventable. In these causes, a newborn could suffer from a seizure disorder or cerebral palsy, fractured bones, brain trauma, etc. Some of the more common types of childbirth injuries involve negligence during prenatal care or injuries that are sustained during the childbirth itself – such as failure to order a C-section when necessary or failure to respond to fetal distress.
Prescription Errors
Medical errors harm millions of people in the United States each year and even occur on a hospital level. The wrong medication may be dispensed, the wrong dosage given, or the prescription may cause a severe side effect because the physician neglected to review the patient’s current medication list or medical history.
Anesthesia Errors
When a patient goes to the hospital for surgery or certain procedures, they may require anesthesia. These errors can be more deadly than surgical ones and can lead to permanent brain damage, injury, or death. Some common anesthesia errors include failure to inform the patient of risks, failure to investigate the patient’s medical history, giving too much or too little anesthesia, or using defective equipment.
Were You Injured in a Hospital?
Regardless of the type of injury, if you feel your injuries were the results of negligence, you may be entitled to compensation. Contact the attorneys at Gladstein Law Firm, PLLC today to discuss your potential case. Schedule a free consultation at 502-791-9000, or fill out an online contact form with your legal questions.
