We expect doctors and providers to provide the best and most effective care for us when we are sick, require surgery, or exhibit worrisome symptoms related to an illness or disease. Patients place trust in our providers to make their best effort to help us; but unfortunately, that doesn’t always happen. There are some cases where you or a loved one is on the wrong end of a doctor’s error or misdiagnosis providing grounds for a medical malpractice lawsuit.
What should you do if a doctor makes an error?
After you or a loved one has sustained an injury related to medical malpractice or experienced a misdiagnosis, it is critical to call a medical malpractice lawyer to review your case. If a catastrophic injury has occurred, do not wait.
As one of Arizona’s premier law firms specializing in hospital malpractice lawsuits, our dedication to our personal injury and medical malpractice clients is unparalleled. We represent the rights of victims in our community to right the wrong of malpractice and will fight for the compensation you deserve.
What are the most common types of physician errors?
The most common healthcare errors cited in the majority of medical malpractice lawsuits include birth injury, delay in diagnosis or misdiagnosis, surgery error, medication error, diagnostic error, an anesthesia error. A medical malpractice lawsuit may arise if a patient does not receive proper medical attention or healthcare treatment to the best of the ability of the physician, nurse, or medical professional. We will cover the top three below.
A general misconception of medical malpractice is that any error is cause for a lawsuit. For a medical malpractice case to be viable, a healthcare provider or professional must have performed or acted below the standard care within the expertise and profession of the individual.
1. Birth Injury
It is impossible to prepare for the pain and suffering associated with a birth injury. When a child is the victim of death or injury after birth, it is imperative for parents to explore every possible option to right the wrong a potential doctor or hospital is responsible for.
In the United States, 7 out of 1,000 births result in injury to a child. In the age of modern and rapidly developing medicine, these statistics are particularly alarming, especially when parents put so much trust in providers and hospitals to take care of their health and wellbeing while extremely vulnerable.
2. Diagnostic Error
Diagnostic error is a huge problem in the United States, accounting for 10% to 20% of deaths as found on autopsy. Between 40,000 and 80,000 patients run the risk of dying from a diagnostic error in our hospitals and healthcare facilities each year. This includes a failure to diagnose a serious condition or delaying diagnosis to provide adequate treatment for a patient.
3. Medication Error
Family physicians make up the majority of medication errors according to a survey from the American Academy of Family Physicians. From the top of the funnel at a healthcare practice to the pharmacy, and into the hands of a patient, improper dosage or distribution of medication can be deadly to a patient.
After an injury, seek immediate medical attention and call a personal injury or medical malpractice attorney to detail the situation you are facing. You or a loved one should never feel you have to ignore the signs of malpractice. If you or a loved one is a victim of a doctor’s mistake or error, call us today to receive the compensation you deserve.