What are the Most Common Medical Malpractice Cases?

A common type of personal injury claim is medical malpractice. Medical malpractice occurs when a medical professional or staff member fails to provide an adequate level of care and a patient is injured, or dies, as a result. While healthcare facilities should be safe havens for patients in need of medical care, mistakes on behalf of a doctor, nurse, or other staff member can impact patients’ health for the rest of their lives. According to a research study conducted by Johns Hopkins University, medical errors are now the third leading cause of death in the U.S., with approximately 251,454 people dying from a medical error each year.

There are several medical errors that can lead to a malpractice case including:

• Prescription Errors: This type of error is one of the most frequent causes for a medical malpractice suit. Some examples of prescription errors include when a doctor prescribes the wrong type of medication, provides an incorrect dosage amount, or the pharmacy gives a patient a defective drug.
• Misdiagnosis: When a doctor misdiagnoses patients, they may receive the wrong type of treatment and/or medication for their condition. There are also other types of misdiagnosis such as a missed diagnosis where a doctor tells patients that they are healthy when they actually have a disease, and delayed diagnosis where it takes a doctor a substantial amount of time to make a correct diagnosis.
• Surgical Errors: While there is a certain amount of risk inherent with surgical procedures, there are many cases where avoidable errors result in patients’ injury, disability, or death. This can include wrong site surgeries, wrong patient surgeries, incorrect incisions, and damage to organs.

At Emerson Straw, we have years of experience representing clients who have been injured because of medical malpractice. If you need representation in your case, or are pursuing legal action on behalf of a deceased loved one, reach out to our legal team today to schedule a free consultation.