There are dozens of injuries that can take place at a hospital. Malpractice may happen when you least expect it. For example, when you think of anesthesia injuries, you probably think about people waking up too soon or passing away because of the wrong dosages of medications. There are actually many other forms of anesthesia errors that can cause problems including breaking teeth when inserting the breathing tube used during the surgery and nerve damage. Of course, organ damage, cardiopulmonary arrest and death are also concerns.
Up to 16 percent of all medical malpractice claims are filed against primary care physicians. In other words, it’s your family physician who may make the error that ends up leading to a lawsuit. In most of these cases, missed diagnoses and errors when prescribing medications lead to the lawsuits. Primary care providers who missed diagnoses were most likely to miss cancer, heart attacks and meningitis.
Why do doctors make errors? There are many causes, but some state that the number of patients they take on has an impact. Imagine seeing dozens of patients a day; if you aren’t paying attention all of the time, you could make a serious error. Getting too tired, not getting breaks and otherwise being unable to relax or unwind can also lead to accidents down the line.
Medical malpractice has no place in the medical field. It’s vital that medical providers pay attention and do what they must to protect their patients. Our website has more information on what to do if you’ve become a victim of a provider’s negligence.