Medical malpractice is a real problem that can affect anyone. Malpractice can be anything from neglecting a patient to making a serious surgical error. At the end of the day, the error may lead to serious injuries or death, which is why families need to know their rights if their loved one is hurt or killed as a result of medical malpractice.
Medical malpractice takes place for all kinds of reasons. It could be a result of a medical provider who was too tired to be working or because they assumed that a patient was fine when they weren’t. There are more explanations for errors than errors themselves, which is why it’s necessary to obtain the true reason that your loved one has been hurt or killed.
What are some of the most common malpractice errors?
Some of the most common medical errors include:
- Leaving an object inside a patient, such as surgical equipment or sponges
- Operating on the wrong body part
- Operating on or treating the wrong patient
- Performing the wrong procedure
All of these, and others, are known as “never events.” They are called this because they’re events that never should have happened with the right medical training and proper communication techniques.
Many patients who suffer from these never events will need to go through further surgery to correct errors. Some may not have the option but could be left permanently disabled. For example, if an operation was supposed to involve the left leg for amputation but the right leg was taken, the patient may need to go back for a second surgery and be left with less functionality than originally expected.
Of course, there is the potential for never events to lead to death. Using the wrong medications on a misidentified patient could lead to an allergic reaction. Incorrectly reading the chart could lead to medication errors, and leaving items inside a patient could result in sepsis or other complications. In any case, a patient has a real threat of being harmed, seriously ill or passing away when their follow-up care is not of the right standard or when their complaints are ignored.
If your loved one was a victim of medical malpractice, you can seek to hold the medical team that made an error responsible for those actions.