Did you know that there are 1.2 million jobs in the medical industry?
Have you or a loved one suffered or died due to a doctor or hospital error? If so, you are likely considering how to file a medical malpractice lawsuit. Knowing the different types of medical malpractice can help you decide how to proceed.
You’ve come to the right place! Here are the top five most common types of medical malpractice examples.
Table of Contents
1. Diagnostic Negligence
Diagnostic negligence is one of the top five most common medical malpractice examples. It is defined as a health care provider providing a medical misdiagnosis. It also needs to meet the accepted standard of care the patient expects.
A range of errors may lead to diagnostic negligence. It includes improper failure to order tests, incorrectly interpreting test results, or failing to recognize the signs and symptoms of a disease. Patients of diagnostic negligence should immediately seek medical malpractice attorney advice.
2. Surgical Error
The most common type of medical malpractice is medical-surgical errors. These errors can range from wrong-site surgery. It includes operating on the wrong body part or organ and leaving medical supplies inside the body.
A surgical error can have dire consequences, from temporary pain and suffering to long-term disabilities to permanent injury and death. Everyone must know their rights and hold medical professionals responsible for their mistakes.
3. Failure to Treat
Failure to Treat is among the top five most common medical malpractice examples. You must also update a patient’s medical records regularly and note any changes in the patient’s health.
Under-treating can also be an issue, as patients should always receive the most up-to-date treatments for their conditions. Additionally, doctors must be aware of any potential allergic reactions that a patient may have to certain medications and must never give a patient something to whom they have a known allergy.
4. Medication Error
This type of medical malpractice occurs when a medical practitioner prescribes, administers, and manages medication incorrectly. Common medication errors include incorrect dosage, giving the wrong medication, failing to assess the patient’s allergies, prescribing medication that interacts negatively with other drugs, and not monitoring for adverse or unexpected reactions.
In rare cases, a patient may receive the wrong medication or dose of the same drug.
5. Improper Medical Equipment Use
One type of medical malpractice that can result in injury to a patient is improper medical equipment use. It means that the medical professional failed to use the equipment properly. It is either due to a lack of knowledge or negligence.
Examples of improper medical equipment use include the wrong medication dosage and equipment not approved for medical purposes. Others are malpractice involving sterilization devices like syringes and needles. Other examples include improper use of lab equipment, such as incorrect results due to faulty tests or unfair treatment from misread charts.
Learning About Medical Malpractice Examples
Knowing medical malpractice examples is a serious matter. It is essential for medical professionals to practice caution when providing medical treatments and for patients to seek second opinions when necessary. If you feel you’ve been a victim of medical malpractice, contact an attorney today to learn more about your rights. Remember to visit our website and read more.
