The Third Leading Cause Of Death
“Oops”, says your doctor after he botched an incision. Getting an “oops” a minute into your operation just doesn’t give you confidence in the doctor’s ability to perform his/her duty.
Although in most surgeries, the patient is under anesthesia and rarely hears the doctor say any word that might cause concern for their safety. And most doctors are trained not to say anything that might tip the patient that an error was made.
But what constitutes an error?
The word error in medicine is used as a label for nearly all of the clinical incidents that harm patients.
A medical error is a preventable adverse effect of care whether or not it is evident or harmful to the patient. This might include an inaccurate or incomplete diagnosis or treatment of a disease, injury, syndrome, behavior, infection, or other ailment.
Sadly, a study released in 2016 found medical error is the third leading cause of death in the United States, after heart disease and cancer.
Medical errors go beyond verbal “oops”, and in most cases are associated with inexperienced physicians and nurses, new procedures, extremes of age, and complex or urgent care.
Other items that may contribute to medical errors…
- Poor communication,
- improper documentation,
- illegible handwriting,
- spelling errors,
- inadequate nurse-to-patient ratios,
- and similarly named medications.
Although in about eighty percent of the adverse effects documented, human error was the cause of the medical mistake. Of those eighty percent the vast majority was a direct result of faulty systems in place coupled with poorly designed processes that created confusion in how the physician or medical practitioner performed the procedure.
So why do I share this information?
I share it to give you an insight on how errors are classified in relation to medical mistakes. Getting a physician to admit a mistake occurred is a different story.
Physicians and hospitals rarely admit mistakes.
In a recent survey of more than 10,000 physicians in the US they were asked 2 questions and the answers were staggering…
Question (1)
“Are there times when it’s acceptable to cover up or avoid revealing a mistake if that mistake would not cause harm to the patient?”
19% answered yes, 60% answered no and 21% answered it depends.
Question (2)
“Are there times when it is acceptable to cover up or avoid revealing a mistake if that mistake would potentially or likely harm the patient?”
2% answered yes, 95% answered no and 3% answered it depends.
Even in cases that seem to be clear cut, you can expect a defendant (the physician and or hospital) to fight any claim of wrongdoing.
We have successfully handled many medical malpractice claims ranging from birth injuries and brain injuries to failure to diagnose cancer to nursing home abuse. We also have handled medication dosage injuries, and infectious disease claims.
Medical malpractice can also apply to nurses, dentists, osteopaths, physical therapy facilities and others providing health care services. The challenges these cases present are many and varied and our team will work aggressively to overcome them. We also have experts at our disposal to help get to the truth of what happened. Our experienced injury attorneys are skilled at working to secure favorable settlements and jury awards if settlement is not possible.
And that’s why we fight for our clients to get their case resolved and the compensation they deserve. A medical error should not sideline you for life, nor prevent you from doing the things you did prior to the mistake happening.
But malpractice suits are rarely simple, and they are costly to fight. Sometimes the time and money needed to pursue compensation for an injury that is minor or heals quickly should not be spent. If you believe you have a medical malpractice claim, it is important to consult with an attorney who can help you determine whether your claim should be pursued.
The Law Offices of David W. Holub is a personal injury law firm located in Merrillville, Indiana, focused on providing efficient and effective client-centered representation. Our mission is to provide top quality legal representation, which includes an uncompromising pursuit of our client’s legal interests, while being accessible and attentive to our clients during times of personal challenge.
To speak with one of our friendly attorneys to determine if your case has merit call 1(219)736-9700 today.
If you would like to discover more about medical injury and what it takes to pursue a medical malpractice claim click the link below…
https://www.davidholublaw.com/medical-malpractice-injury/
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