Serious Medical Condition

Hospital malpractice can occur when a doctor or medical staff member provides negligent treatment or care from which the patient suffers harm. There are around 225,000 people in the US who die every year from medical errors and malpractice. Also, it is important to remember that medical malpractice does not always have to involve a doctor. Malpractice can occur from any medical professional who is treating a patient. These medical professionals can include nurses and pharmacists, as well as medical technicians, and other members of the hospital's staff.

Failure to Begin Treatment or Properly Treat a Serious Illness

Many times, the patient receives a diagnosis, but they are given the wrong treatment plan, or there is a delay in administering a treatment plan. These mistakes can arise when the hospital staff doesn't:

· Run the correct diagnostic tests

· Follow the physician's treatment plan

· Administer the correct medication

· Properly monitor the patient

The most common forms of medical malpractice include:

· The failure of medical staff to properly diagnose a serious illness or medical condition

· The failure of medical staff to begin the treatment of a disease or medical condition

· Medical staff failing to properly treat a serious condition

· Mistakes arising during and after surgery, including complications from anesthesia

· Mistakes involving patient prescriptions

Failure to Properly Diagnose or Misdiagnosing a Serious Medical Condition

The failure to properly diagnose or misdiagnosing a serious medical condition or illness can result in the death of a patient. The Institute of Medicine estimates that there are about 225,000 people who die each year from various medical mistakes. Many of these deaths are preventable as long as the patient was properly diagnosed when they arrived at the hospital.

Surgical Errors and Complications from Anesthesia

There is never a surgery that is entirely risk free. But, even with these risks, we have faith that our surgeons are the best at what they do and are educated and highly skilled. Unfortunately, there are mistakes that happen during surgery and no matter what the reasons are for the mistake, it is completely unacceptable. The most common mistakes that occur during or after surgery include:

· Surgical equipment, such as sponges or rags, that are left inside a patient

· The accidental cutting or puncturing of a nerve, organ or artery during the surgery

· Performing the incorrect surgery or making an incision in a wrong location on the patient's body

· Performing a surgery that is unapproved and/or unnecessary

· Unprofessional or careless surgical techniques

· Complications from anesthesia, stemming from incorrect dosage and administration, to side effects such as stroke or heart attack

Prescription Errors

Being given the wrong prescription can have life-threatening side effects. Some common mistakes involving prescriptions include:

· The patient being prescribed the wrong medication or dosage

· The doctor prescribing the patient a medication that has negative interactions with the medication that the patient is currently taking

· Inexperienced or overworked pharmacists filling the wrong prescription, using the wrong drug, or giving the patient the wrong instructions for taking the medication

The number of people injured each year by the negligence or oversight of our medical professionals is staggering.

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