When you’re suffering from a health issue and go to seek professional medical help, you expect to be taken care of. While most doctors and nurses do their best to provide their patients with quality care, mistakes can still happen. In some cases, those mistakes can have life-altering consequences for their patient. When a patient isn’t treated correctly, the medical professional may be liable for further injury. Let’s take a look at some of the most common medical malpractice claims.
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Misdiagnosis and Failure to Diagnose
In the United States, nearly 12 million people are misdiagnosed in an outpatient setting each year, It’s incredibly common because some illnesses are difficult to identify while some may have less obvious symptoms. Without a proper diagnosis, it’s nearly impossible for a doctor to implement a successful treatment plan. Diagnostic errors are so harmful to patients because it can lead to delays in treatment, a lack of treatment, and even death. Extended hospital stays and expensive and unnecessary treatments can also create a financial burden.
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Prescription Errors
Prescription drug errors occur when someone is given the wrong medication, wrong dosage, or not made fully aware of the side effects. This is one of the most common medical malpractice claims and tend to occur with patients age 60 and over. Dosage errors are equally as common and can cause a dangerous situation. Many prescription drug errors go unreported by patients. Any number of medical professionals, including doctors, pharmacists, and drug manufacturers could be held responsible for prescription mistakes.
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Child Birth Errors
Nearly 20 percent of all medical malpractice suits are filed against OBGYN’s, more than any other type of doctor. The mother and infant can both be victims of medical malpractice. This can be any negligence that happens during prenatal care and/or during childbirth. For prenatal care negligence, physicians fail to recognize birth defects, diseases that could be contagious to a child, an ectopic pregnancy, and any medical conditions from a mother that could affect pregnancy or delivery. Negligence during childbirth can lead to complications such as fetal distress, spinal cord injuries, and postmortem hemorrhage (which is the number one cause of maternal death after delivery). Not all complications are unavoidable, but mothers and newborns deserve the highest level of care.
If you or a loved one has been hurt by a medical professional’s mistake please contact at The Cochran Firm Philadelphia. Our experienced medical malpractice lawyers will fight to get you the justice you deserve.