Hospitals have a duty of care for the patients that they see and treat. However, when this level of care is not met by their medical professionals and a patient’s health suffers because of it, the affected patient and their family can sue them for damages.
In this blog, we will discuss three common forms of medical malpractice in hospitals:
Medication errors
This type of medical malpractice can arise when a doctor prescribes the wrong drug for a patient or when a nurse administers drugs in incorrect dosages. When these mistakes happen, their patients can receive ineffective treatments or experience severe drug allergies.
Another common example of medication error occurs when a pharmacist misreads a prescription and dispenses the wrong drug for the patient.
Surgical errors
Surgical errors happen when a surgeon makes a preventable mistake in the operating room. Three common examples of these include leaving a foreign object inside the patient’s body, performing the wrong procedure and puncturing an organ.
These types of errors can cause irreversible harm or serious complications for the patient, with some cases resulting in post-surgical infections or even death.
Misdiagnosis
When a doctor provides their patient with a wrong diagnosis for their injury or disease, the patient may end up receiving incorrect medication or unnecessary medical procedures for their condition.
This mistake can not only endanger their health but also make them miss the critical window that they would need to receive treatments for their severe conditions, such as cancer or heart disease.
Seeking justice for a loved one’s medical malpractice
When you bring a sick loved one to the hospital, it is because you want them to receive the best care possible. However, when their healthcare providers make a mistake that causes their illness to progress further, you have the right to seek justice by suing the hospital for damages.