When we need medical care, we trust our doctors to be the ones we turn to for help with our injuries and illnesses. But unfortunately, doctors sometimes make mistakes too—and the consequences can be quite devastating for the patient.
Unfortunately, the statistics for medical malpractice are staggering. According to the Center for Justice & Democracy at New York Law School, hundreds of thousands of patients die each year due to medical malpractice, which makes medical malpractice the third leading cause of death in America. What’s more is that diagnostic medical errors, which most people experience at least once in their life, are almost twice as likely to result in death compared to other medical errors.
If you or a loved one has experienced medical malpractice, it can be a devastating experience for all of those involved.
Here is more information about medical malpractice so that you and your family can protect yourself while seeking a doctor’s care.
What Types of Hospital Staff Errors are There?
There are a few different types of negligence in a medical setting, including the following:
- Misdiagnosis
- Negligence during pregnancy and childbirth
- Mistakes in prescribing or administering medication
- Surgical errors
- Failing to monitor a patient
- Failing to take a patient’s vital signs
- Failing to take an important vital sign
- Administering the wrong type of medication
- Failing to check a bedridden patient for bed sores
- Failing to respond to a patient’s call soon enough
- Failing to report symptoms and complaints
Deadly Mistakes in the Hospital
Unfortunately, there are many things that can go wrong while you’re receiving care in the hospital. A doctor or a nurse may have dirty hands, which can spread germs to an ill or injured patient. Doctors are always supposed to wash their hands immediately before they touch a patient.
Doctors can also cause harm by keeping in urinary catheters, breathing tubes, or a vascular catheter too long, causing infectious germs to come into the body. Another life-threatening error a doctor or nurse can do is putting you on a ventilator when you are lying down flat, which can cause VAP (or ventilator-associated pneumonia). Failure to provide special stockings and compression devices can cause blood clots for people who are hospitalized after surgery, cancer treatment, or trauma. Additionally, doctors and nurses should be carefully screening for blood clots in patients who are staying in the hospital.
Have you or a loved one been a victim of medical malpractice in Georgia that resulted in severe injuries or even death? You’re going to need a legal team who understands your rights. Call the Fry Law team at 404.969.1284.
