Failure to Diagnose Caused Comedian, John Ritter’s Death
On the 11th of September, 2003, John Ritter, a well-known comedic actor on shows such as “Three’s Company” and “8 Simple Rules,” died as a result of an aortic dissection – also known as a tear in the inner layer of the aorta. This condition is fatal, as the aorta is the main blood vessel that transports blood away from your heart and to the rest of your body.
The signs and symptoms of aortic dissection and heart attack are very similar; thus doctors need to be stringent and follow all the necessary protocols to ensure that an accurate diagnosis is made.
Exhaustion is Leading to Nursing Negligence
According to a new report published in the Mail Online on 2 July 2019, a recent study of more than 1,000 nurses in the US found that the incidence of nursing negligence and medical errors has increased in recent years. The study indicated that this is largely due to exhausted nurses and nurse burnout.
Statistical analysis of the study’s results revealed the following:
Birth Injuries and Birth Trauma
Pregnancy and childbirth are two extremely complex medical conditions which require the care of experienced doctors. The reason for this is that there is much that can go wrong during pregnancy and childbirth, leading to birth injuries – some of which can be so severe that they are then classified as birth traumas.
Anesthesia Errors and Anesthesia Aspiration
Anesthesia is used for most medical procedures as a method of pain management. There are different types of anesthesia which are used for different medical procedures. This is dependent on the type of surgery and where on the body the surgery is taking place. The type of anesthesia used for major surgeries is called general anesthesia.
Risks of General Anesthesia
Due to the nature of major surgery and the medications involved, there are several risks associated with the use of general anesthesia which your doctor should discuss with you. Some major risks associated with general anesthesia include:
Burnout and Nursing Negligence
Nurse burnout is a physical, mental, and emotional exhaustion experienced by nurses which negatively affects patient outcomes and leads to job dissatisfaction. The number of nursing negligence lawsuits has increased due to nurse burnout, which is largely caused by organizational factors.
Nursing negligence is an unfortunate and often unavoidable consequence of nurse burnout. Stress, long working hours, infrequent breaks, and rotating shifts slow down reaction times, increases errors, and reduces motivation. All of these factors affect patient care.
Causes of Failure to Diagnose in Primary Care
A doctor’s failure to diagnose occurs when they are negligent or fail to take the necessary steps to determine the nature of your illness, which then causes you harm. The reason for this harm is because a doctor’s failure to diagnose can lead to incorrect or delayed treatment being administered or worse, no treatment is administered at all.
There are several factors that contribute to failure to diagnose within the primary healthcare system, with some being more prevalent than others. Such diagnostic errors include:
The Root Causes of Medical Errors
There are many causes of medical errors, something which is defined as a preventable adverse effect of medical care, whether it is evidently harmful to you or not.
Many people have suffered greatly due to medical errors. Some of these errors have occurred because there have been numerous factors involved, however, many of these errors have occurred because of medical malpractice and medical negligence and are thus viable cases for medical malpractice lawsuits.
Common Doctor Errors
As with general medical errors, a doctor error is a preventable adverse effect of care that you suffer at the hands of your doctor which causes you harm. Unlike a general medical error, which can be caused by various healthcare professionals and associated personnel, doctor errors are specific to your treating doctor.
Some doctor errors are more common than others. The following errors are commonly featured in various medical malpractice lawsuits, and it is important that you are aware of these common doctor errors so that you can help ensure that they do not happen to you.
Anesthesia Errors and Unintended Intraoperative Awareness
Of all the medications used in the healthcare industry, anesthesia is one of the most frequently used and one of the most important. Just about every medical procedure necessitates the use of anesthesia – whether local or general – and unfortunately, due to its complexity, errors can occur.
What is Anesthesia?
In short, anesthesia is a medical treatment that is used to prevent patients from feeling pain during the surgery and other medical procedures.
Wrongful Death and Civil Law
Wrongful death is the legal and medical term used to describe your death, or the death of someone you know, due to the negligence or reckless behavior of other people or institutions. In the medical context, and in medical malpractice law, these people are doctors, nurses, hospital administrators, and other healthcare professionals or healthcare organizations.
Wrongful Death Claims
Generally, it is your immediate family who will seek a wrongful death claim in the instance of your wrongful death. The most common reason for your family wanting to file a wrongful death lawsuit is to obtain compensation for the damages that have occurred as a result of your death. These damages can be financial and/or emotional.