Research suggests that medical errors claim the lives of at least 251,000 Americans every year, making it the third-leading cause of death in the United States. An estimated 400,000 patients suffer some sort of preventable injury, both in hospitals and outpatient settings.
The five most common types of medical negligence include:
Failure to properly diagnose an illness or disease can be a serious form of medical negligence. For some people, a misdiagnosis results in extended hospital stays worsening symptoms or even death.
Prescription errors cause between 7,000 and 9,000 deaths per year. Doctors may prescribe the wrong medication, the wrong dosage, or a drug that doesn’t interact well with another medicine that a patient already takes. The wrong medication could cause life-threatening allergic reactions or dangerous side effects in some patients.
Negligent prenatal care may lead to devastating complications for both mother and child. Mothers must be monitored closely throughout pregnancy to reduce the risk of potential complications during labor. Medical negligence can also occur in the delivery room if a doctor or medical provider fails to recognize signs of fetal distress or is too rough during delivery. Birth injuries like cerebral palsy can change a child’s life.
At least 4,000 surgical mistakes happen in the U.S. every year. Examples include wrong-site, wrong-procedure, and wrong-patient surgeries (WSPEs), unnecessary procedures, infections, and foreign objects like medical instruments and gauze left inside the body. Numerous protocols are in place to prevent surgical errors. Failure to follow these standards is a type of medical negligence.
Patients rely on anesthesiologists to monitor them closely while they are unconscious. Administering anesthesia at the wrong dosage, giving patients the wrong drug, or failing to watch patients for signs of distress are preventable and potentially fatal errors.
At Mushkatel, Robbins & Becker, PLLC, we know that medical negligence takes a painful toll on Arizona families. Our top-tier medical malpractice attorneys provide compassionate and comprehensive legal advice to help victims pursue the compensation and justice they deserve. Call or contact us today for a free consultation.
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