Common Medical Errors Made by Doctors

According to Johns Hopkins patient safety experts, over 250,000 deaths occur each year in the United States as a result of medical errors.

This number surpasses data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) which states that respiratory disease is the third leading cause of death, killing nearly 150,000 people every year across the country. The sad truth is that the common medical errors that doctors make are preventable and if they were more careful, they would be able to avoid injuring or killing patients.

Here is a look at some of the most common medical errors made by doctors:

• Medication Mistakes: These mistakes include wrong medication, wrong dose and bad reactions and bad combinations. According to theInstitute of Medicine, innocent mistakes made in medication cause harm to approximately 1.5 million people ever year. You should keep yourself informed by asking health care professionals what drugs you are taking, why you are taking them, how much and how often you should take them. This way, when the time comes to administer drugs, you can make sure that you are given the right medication and the right dose.
• Excessive Blood Transfusions: In US hospitals, one of the most common procedures is red blood cell transfusions. However, a recent studydeemed nearly 60% globally as inappropriate procedures. Some studies have shown that a patient's risk for infection increases when they receive excessive blood cells, while others have found blood transfusions to increase risk for disease and death.
• Excessive Oxygen for Premature Babies: While too little oxygen is bad, too much is also not good. Experts say that medical professionals need to find the "sweet spot" when oxygen is pumped into premature babies because an overdose of oxygen can result in blindness. Although it is a simple thing, it is also very powerful with long-lasting implications on a baby's life.
• Healthcare-Associated Infections: According to the CDC,about 1 in every 25 patientsin a hospital setting contracts an infection. Healthcare-associated infections (HAI) are unfortunately highly common. It is important to remind your clinician to wash their hands before they examine you, or perform any task on you. When it comes to HAI, patient engagement is critical.
• Surgery Errors: Mistakes made in the operating room are fairly common. For example, a surgeon might leave a surgical instrument inside the patient's body, operate on the wrong part or puncture internal organs. Surgery errors are one of the mostthat result in a medical malpractice claim.

If you or a loved one has been injured due to a medical error on your doctor's part, you should immediately seek the help of a profound and cutting edge medical malpractice attorney at Rosenberg, Minc, Falkoff, & Wolff of RMFW Law at 212-344-1000.

There are complex rules that regulate medical malpractice cases, which is why it is extremely important to hire a legal counselor with experience in medical malpractice lawsuits. Such suits can take years to resolve and require many resources to get the best possible outcome for you. But no worries, RMFW Law can take care of all of this for you and we just take a percentage at the end. In addition, sometimes cases are over with in just a few months.

If you have a lawsuit based on a medical error, you should seek legal advice or representation from an attorney who has successfully handled other cases like yours which RMFW Law has done many times before. We have been around the legal block before and have won millions of dollars for past clients. You too can be on this golden list.

Call us now!