Klein & Carney Co., LLC
Klein & Carney Co., LLC

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Which common hospital mistake led to your injury?

On Behalf of | Sep 12, 2019 | Medical Malpractice |

Medical malpractice comes in many forms. It can happen because a doctor wrote the wrong prescription or the pharmacist gave you the wrong medication. It happens when a surgeon operates on the wrong location or you get an infection because you didn’t get proper care after a procedure. No matter the reason, medical malpractice can result in significant harm to Ohio patients.

When you go to a hospital, you probably assume that you will get the care you need and the right type of treatment for your illness or injury. Unfortunately, that does not always happen. Hospital errors are some of the most common reasons for medical malpractice and patient harm or death. Whether you are post-operative or you may need care in the future, it can be helpful to learn more about these common causes and how they could impact you.

Missteps inside a hospital

When mistakes happen in a hospital, the results can be catastrophic. This is why safety should be a priority in every type of hospital, on every floor and in every department. Medical staff should have the right training to do their jobs well and prevent patient harm and errors as much as possible. Some of the most common types of hospital mistakes include:

  • Wrong-patient error – Before performing a procedure, giving medication or doing anything else, doctors and nurses should make sure they have the right patient. Double checking names, rereading charts and confirming with the patient can help avoid problems.
  • Surgery errors – Whether a surgeon opened the wrong part of the body or he or she did the wrong procedure, this type of mistake is severe. Surgery errors also include leaving objects inside a patient or poorly closing incisions.
  • Medication errors – When a doctor, nurse or pharmacist gives the wrong medication to a patient or mixes up medications, the results can be detrimental. This also includes giving the wrong dosage or failing to consider potential side effects or interactions with other medications.
  • Diagnostic error – A patient relies on a doctor to give him or her the right diagnosis. An incorrect, delayed or missed diagnosis can lead to a progression of a disease, worsening of a condition or increase in pain levels.

If you are the victim of some type of hospital mistake, you do not have to suffer alone. You may assume that you have nowhere to turn or you may be uncertain regarding how you should proceed, but it is possible to hold liable parties accountable for your pain, medical problems, additional financial losses and other complications.