We’ve all been in the doctor’s office waiting for a checkup, and for some people, there is an irrational fear of what the doctor might say. For others, though, the fear is very real – medical malpractice can happen in many forms, whether it’s while you’re under anesthesia and in surgery or when you’re at the clinic for a routine examination. Victims of medical malpractice can emerge very confused and angry about the ordeal, often times at a loss as to what to do. Here are the 6 most common types of medical malpractice for you to watch out for on your next trip to the doctor.
Misdiagnosis
There are very few ailments that have completely unique symptoms. As a result, doctors will test for a variety of sicknesses or examine you in a few ways to narrow down the potential problems. Although this can eliminate many possibilities, it can open the door to many others, and doctors may elect to diagnose and treat a specific problem without readily considering any alternatives.
A misdiagnosis can occur when a doctor simply says that you have the wrong condition and treats for it. This can go on your medical record, and if you go to another doctor, the records will carry over and still be wrong, which may cause a chain reaction of mistakes. If a doctor was negligent and did not follow through with all possible options, he could be guilty of a misdiagnosis.
Missed Diagnosis
Similar to a misdiagnosis, a missed diagnosis happens when a doctor simply doesn’t recognize what is wrong with you and does not prescribe any treatment or medication. In some cases, this error can prove fatal; for example, a missed diagnosis of cancer can be the difference between a lengthened lifespan and a very short amount of time left alive.
Some missed diagnoses can occur because doctors are hurrying to get to all their patients or because the lab or hospital lost records and tests. They could have mixed up the results and caused the doctor to completely fail to notice what was wrong. “Because of how common missed diagnoses are, we always recommend getting a second opinion – or even a third opinion,” says Farid Yaghoubtil, one of the founders of the Downtown LA Law Group. “You shouldn’t trust just one opinion when it comes to your health.”
Prescription Drug Errors
All too often, doctors will prescribe medication for injuries and not properly research their patients’ backgrounds. An overabundance of medication can cause adverse effects if there are other conditions. For example, a patient with numerous stomach issues should not be given meds that can possibly cause damage to his digestion. Even Ibuprofen taken in high doses over a long period of time can cause stomach problems.
In addition, pharmacies may mix up medication and give patients the wrong pills. This is not uncommon, especially if the pills are located next to each other or have similar names. Pharmacists can be held responsible for their errors in the same way that doctors can.
Surgical Error
A surgical error may occur when a surgeon operates on the wrong body part, mistakenly snips a nerve, causes a birth injury, or otherwise hurts a patient while the patient is on the table. He could even leave permanent paralysis or long-term damage if he is especially negligent. Although there are usually multiple individuals in the room during surgery – nurses and aides, for one – these errors can still happen. It most commonly occurs because someone wrote the wrong directions on the medical chart or because of a hurried doctor.
Some surgical errors can be reversed, but others cannot be.
Foreign Object Left in Body
In addition so surgical errors, there is the chance that doctors will leave items in a body after they have finished surgery and stitched you up. There have been reports of sponges, forceps, pieces of metal, plastic, and more left behind in bodies post-surgery. Sometimes, these objects aren’t discovered until years later.
This can be extremely dangerous for a few reasons. For example, if a piece of metal is left inside someone’s body and the patient needs an MRI, the magnets can force the metal through the skin and cause extreme injuries. Doctors may leave objects inside when they’re rushing to finish or when they’ve completed a lengthy and difficult surgery and are no longer paying proper attention.
Fighting Back against Medical Malpractice
Victims of medical malpractice should always get opinions from other doctors on if the errors can be treated, and attorneys can give their input on if the at-fault parties can be sued. You should always be inquisitive when dealing with medical professionals, and make sure to question what you reasonably can to ensure that you’re not at risk of a mistake. A few simple queries and reminders can be enough to stop a medical error before it happens.
