Medical errors can be devastating to those affected by them. They can result in physical and emotional trauma that can severely impact an individual’s quality of life. Filing a claim against a negligent health care provider can offer some amount of financial relief to victims of malpractice; even if they may never experience the same lifestyle they had before.
Medical errors caused more than 2,500 avoidable deaths and 10 million days of lost work in 2008, according to a recent study conducted by the Society of Actuaries. Medical errors and associated problems cost the U.S. economy a total of $ 19.5 billion that year.
Types of Medical Errors
A medical error can occur under any circumstance when a health care provider is responsible for care or treatment of a patient. If the error is the result of negligence, then it may be medical malpractice. Some examples of situations where a medical error can occur include:
Surgery: Because many surgeries are complex and are used to treat serious medical conditions, medical errors can happen often. An error may be the result of medical malpractice in if a health care provider was negligent in any way.
Childbirth: Labor and delivery can become far more serious in some cases. The baby or mother can have problems during child birth resulting in injury to either one which may be due to negligence by health care providers.
Diagnosis of a disease or medical condition: Misdiagnosis can and does happen because doctors are only human. However, if a doctor fails to request the appropriate tests that another competent physician would deem necessary for diagnosis, it may be an instance of medical malpractice.
Prescribed medication: Some individuals are allergic to certain medications and, if taken along with other prescriptions, can result in serious harm to a patient. If the health care provider was not diligent in learning all medications the patient was currently taking, resulting in injury to the patient could be medical malpractice.
One way to reduce the likelihood that you become a victim of medical error is to stay informed. Research your health care providers to ensure they have a reputation for excellence. Before consenting to a procedure, ask questions and seek several opinions. However, even if you are diligent in your research, you can still be affected by medical error. If you think you have a medical malpractice claim, the best course of action is to consult an experienced medical malpractice attorney for advice on the next step to take.
If you are in the state of New York and you think you are the victim of medical negligence, please contact the office of Silberstein, Awad and Miklos, P.C.