Medical malpractice cases can happen for many reasons. Some reasons include misdiagnosis, failure to diagnose, failure to treat, and medication errors. A plaintiff’s lawyer must prove that the physician did not meet the standard of care and the patient suffered harm. The most common malpractice reasons for outpatient patients are misdiagnosis and delayed diagnosis. Misdiagnosis can lead to unnecessary treatments or a patient suffering from a life-threatening condition.
Misdiagnosis
According to a recent study, more than one-third of medical malpractice cases that result in permanent disability or death are caused by misdiagnosis. Inaccurate diagnoses cause an average of ten deaths in the United States each year and affect 12 million people in the primary care setting. These mistakes can lead to costly outcomes and financial damage for the patient and healthcare organization.
Doctors are sometimes under pressure to complete their diagnostic visits quickly. Some medical practices even encourage doctors to stand by the door and discourage patients from discussing medical concerns with their physicians. As a result, patients are not asked enough questions or receive inadequate examinations, which can lead to a misdiagnosis. Furthermore, doctors often fail to review abnormal test results in detail and fail to correlate them with the patient’s symptoms. For this situation, it is best to consult professionals like the lawyers at www.bwglaw.com to help you.
Failure To Treat
Medical malpractice cases can arise when a doctor fails to diagnose a condition or prescribe a treatment that could cure it. Sometimes it is as simple as releasing a patient from the hospital too soon, failing to order appropriate tests, or failing to prescribe treatment on time. Other times it can be as complicated as failing to diagnose a life-threatening condition or provide follow-up care.
The most common reasons for medical malpractice cases are negligent diagnosis or treatment. A healthcare provider’s failure to properly diagnose a patient’s condition can result in unnecessary suffering, brain injuries, and other serious health problems. Unfortunately, failure to diagnose a condition can also result from a physician’s intentional decision to treat an untreated disease. In many cases, patients suffer permanent damage or even death.
Lack Of Informed Consent
Lack of informed consent can be a complex problem for physicians. To bring a medical malpractice case, the patient must prove that he was not fully informed of the risks involved in the procedure. Furthermore, the patient must testify that he would not have undergone surgery if he had been informed of the risks.
Lack of informed consent can cause harm when it is not properly followed. An example of a patient not giving consent would be if the physician performed a different procedure based on their diagnosis. Nevertheless, sometimes a medical emergency arises that requires a different procedure.
Medication Errors
Medication errors are one of the most common reasons for medical malpractice claims. These errors can happen during any step of the drug-delivery process, including prescribing, dispensing, or administration. These mistakes can cause severe harm to a patient and can be prevented. You can do your part to prevent medication errors by taking an active role in your care. Take the time to read and understand the information on your medication labels, and communicate any concerns with your healthcare provider.
Inadequate Charting
When charting a patient’s condition, ensure that your documentation is accurate and consistent. Inadequate documentation is often a cause of medical malpractice lawsuits. For example, a patient with a breast tumor sued a surgeon who incorrectly charted the size of the remaining breast. If a physician makes a simple mistake, the results could prove disastrous.
The most common error in paper charts is that patients’ records are missing vital information. This often happens because doctors are in a hurry to make a diagnosis and do not take the time to record their findings thoroughly. Also, they often forget to include discussions they have with patients.
