6 Common Medical Errors That May Lead to a Malpractice Lawsuit

We put great trust in doctors and other medical professionals, but even doctors make mistakes. Unfortunately, a doctor’s mistakes can significantly affect their patients’ lives.

Nebraska medical malpractice law allows the victim of a medical error or their family to obtain compensation for losses related to the mistake. Generally speaking, if it can be shown that a doctor-patient relationship existed, that the doctor was negligent in some way, that the negligence led to injury that resulted in specific damages, the grounds for a medical malpractice lawsuit are in place.

Medical errors are surprisingly common, and, sadly, they often repeat themselves. Read on to learn about six of the most common medical errors that may provide cause for medical malpractice lawsuits.

1) Misdiagnosis or Delayed Diagnosis

Sometimes it can be difficult to determine what is causing your illness or pain. These difficulties or a simple lack of attentiveness can lead to a misdiagnosis. If this occurs, you could end up with no treatment or treatment that will not help your condition (and may even harm you). A delayed diagnosis can also significantly affect your health and wellbeing in some situations.

2) Medication Errors

Medication-related errors affect an estimated 1.5 million people in the United States each year. These errors can be the result of a doctor error or an error committed by the pharmacy. It may also be related to a misdiagnosis situation as well.

3) Anesthesia Errors

You may have heard horror stories about patients who are awake during their surgery but are unable to tell the doctor. These situations of too little anesthesia can lead to a medical malpractice lawsuit. Having too much anesthesia can also result in serious long-term harm and even death.

4) Surgery Errors

Surgery errors are extremely common because of the delicate nature of the procedure. Outrageous situations can also occur—including leaving tools or instruments inside a patient or operating on the wrong body part. Surgery errors end up accounting for roughly one-third of all medical malpractice claims.

5) Childbirth Injuries

The birth of a child is a wonderful and sometimes complicated event, and doctors have to be careful not to harm the child during the birthing process. Many birth complications can be anticipated by a competent physician and should be addressed before the birth. Failure to anticipate problems that an otherwise competent physician should have addressed could spark a medical malpractice lawsuit. In addition, inappropriate use of methods or tools can also cause permanent damage to the child.

6) Improper Prenatal Care

Proper care while the baby is developing is essential for a happy, healthy mother and child. Improper prenatal care can cause long-term problems for both the mother and child, and may even result in the death of the baby.

If you think you or a loved one has suffered from a medical error, whether it has made this list or not, you have legal options. Call Inkelaar Law today and let us fight to ensure you get the justice you deserve in all manner of medical malpractice.