Common Medical Errors That Lead to Medical Malpractice

Health care providers, doctors, surgeons, and hospitals are expected to provide their patients with quality medical care that is held to a certain standard and for good reason. They are required to have extensive training, have a great deal of knowledge, and are paid handsomely in order to uphold a standard of care. When this standard of care is failed to be met resulting in a patient’s injury or death due to negligence, the at-fault party can be held responsible for medical malpractice.

If you are a loved one has been injured due to an error by a medical health professional, you might be entitled to financial compensation. That being said, bringing a medical malpractice lawsuit is not as easy as everyone thinks. There has to be serious damages and you must prove that the doctor or institution was at fault. This usually entails hiring other medical experts who aren’t inclined to testify against their peers and hiring experts usually costs a lot of money upfront. Even with the help of expert witnesses, the error usually has to be extremely negligent as doctors have a lot lean-way when treating patients. We know what it takes to successfully handle a medical malpractice lawsuit in Michigan and we can help you. Contact our personal injury attorneys to schedule a free confidential consultation to discuss your situation. We have helped numerous victims and their families hold health care providers responsible for their wrongdoing do to medical errors including the most common which include:

Medication Mistakes and Errors

This type of medical malpractice when a patient is given the wrong type of medication or is given the wrong dosage for a particular medication. Every patient is different and the doctor needs to understand the complexities when giving or prescribing medication. There are many ways in which health care professionals can make this type of mistake which includes:

Failure to asking the patient about current medication they are taking which may have a negative interaction with the medication being given. Even common over the counter drugs can interact and cause serious injuries/wrongful death.
The doctor giving the wrong dosage for a particular medication. Giving too high of dose for any medication can have serious consequences and doctors are trained and should be aware of safe dosages for all of their patients.
Failing to inform the patient of dangers which the medication might carry with it. Some drugs are more dangerous than others and the patients have a right to know about these dangers and side effects.
Failing to ask the patient about allergies. Medication allergies such as penicillin is very common, and it is the doctor’s responsibility to ask the patient about these allergies. If the doctor prescribes a medication that the patient clearly stated they were allergic to, they could be responsible for medical malpractice.

Birth Injuries

Many birth injuries happen due to the result of negligence of the health care provider. These are extremely devastating because most birth injuries have long lasting effects that directly impact their quality of life and require lifetime medical assistance. Some of the common birth injury errors or mistakes include:

Failure to correctly anticipate the size of the child including both the body and head. With modern medicine, there is no excuse to not know this fact and failure to act can be malpractice.
Fetal distress that is not addressed or responded to in a time fashion. This mistake can cause serious complications.
A wrapped umbilical cord around the child that is neglected and not accounted for.
Not performing an emergency cesarean section when warranted.
Not using modern medical equipment properly to aid in the birth delivery process.

As mentioned previously, many birth injuries carry serious consequences that carry long-term or permanent injuries which may include the following:

Infant Brain Injury
C-Section Injuries
Infant Kernicterus
Klumpke’s Palsy
Maternal Injuries
Infant Nerve Damage
Premature Delivery
Reduced Oxygen Injuries
Cerebral Palsy

Delayed or Diagnosis or Misdiagnosis

A health care provider giving the wrong diagnosis or giving the diagnosis too late is much more common than you think. This mistake can be costly and may result in treatment that is dangerous and unnecessary. This puts the patient at extra risk and can worsen the condition of the patient or cause other conditions that could have easily been avoided, such as a heart attack. If the health care professional waits too long to recognize symptoms resulting in a delayed diagnosis, this can result in the patient’s condition worsening and in more severe cases even cause death.

Doctors, surgeons, and other health care professionals are requited to diagnose a patient to a certain standard and to the best of their ability. Many doctors simply don’t take the time or are uninformed about certain aspects of conditions. For example, a spinal condition called Cauda Equina requires treatment within 48 hours to avoid serious effects. Some doctors fail to recognize the symptoms or simply don’t give the patient the attention they deserve. This can be considered medical malpractice if as a result the patient incurs significant injuries or complications.

In order to prove a delayed or misdiagnosis, you will need to show that a doctor with similar training and education would have and should have diagnosed the medical condition. This can be extremely difficult to do and will require the expertise of an experienced medical malpractice lawyer.

Anesthesia Errors

Medical malpractice due to anesthesia occurs when complications results in a patient’s injuries or death which undergoing treatment by an anesthesiologist. Undergoing anesthesia is a dangerous proposition and they must be carefully monitored and cared to in order to prevent medical errors. Some of the most common anesthesia errors include:

Failure to closely monitor vitals while the patient is under anesthesia
Giving the patient too much of a particular medication that results in a fatality
Using outdated, unmaintained, or defective medical equipment to administer anesthesia
Making a error with the patient’s breathing tube
Not giving the patient adequate instructions such as not eating or drinking fluids for a given period of time beforehand
Not reviewing the patient’s life-time medical history

Surgical Errors

Surgeons are held to a high standard of care and failure to uphold this standard can lead to medical malpractice. Surgical mistakes or errors when they cause an injury or death due to their own negligence. Negligence can happen when the surgeon(s) fail to adequately prepare for the procedure or commit a serious error that another surgeon with their training and education wouldn’t commit. Some of the most common surgical errors include the following:

Performing the procedure on the wrong individual
Operating on the wrong site or body part of the patient
Causing damage to vital organs
Failure to follow post operation procedures
Not informing the patient of post operation procedures resulting in injury or death
Performing the surgery in an unsanitary environment
Failure to clean and sterilize medical equipment before the operation causing serious infection
Failure to remove and leaving medical equipment inside the body of the patient

Contact The Clark Law Office For a Free Confidential Consultation

If you or a loved one has been the victim of medical malpractice or hospital negligence, you might be entitled to recover financial compensation for your mounting medical bills, wages that you are unable to earn, and your pain and suffering that you were forced to endure. Our experienced personal injury lawyers will talk with you about your case and inform you of the legal options available to you. Medical malpractice cases are complex in nature and can be very difficult to bring and win. We know what it takes and what makes a good case. We will charge you no upfront fees, pay for the investigation, and hire the necessary experts and no cost to you unless your case is won. Contact us today at 517-347-6900 for a free consultation.

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Matthew Clark

Content checked by Matthew Clark, personal injury attorney with The Clark Law Office. Matthew is the owner of The Clark Law Office and represents injury victims all over the State of Michigan. He has collected multiple million dollar verdicts and settlements for victims of auto accidents, dog bites, slip and fall, and medical malpractice. The main office is in Okemos, MI but you can also find us in Lansing and Eaton Rapids.