/24-7PressRelease/ - April 22, 2007 - When we think of medical malpractice, most of us think of extreme situations or high-profile cases we have heard about in the news. Surgical errors like operations on the wrong patient or amputation of the wrong limb come to mind. However, medical malpractice comes in many, more subtle, forms, often resulting in serious harm and even death.
Emergency Room Malpractice
The chaotic, high-stress environment of emergency rooms makes them ripe for error, but hospitals have a duty to implement policies and procedures which minimize the risks. Emergency room errors include:
· Delayed treatment
· Delayed diagnosis, misdiagnosis, failure to diagnose
· Laboratory errors
· Failure to fully evaluate a patient
· Failure to fully treat a patient
· Failure to monitor a patient
· Medication errors
· Surgical errors
· Contaminated blood transfusions
· Negligence
· Poor sanitation
Birth Injuries
Birth injuries can mean long-term disability for your child and sometimes result in infant death or shortened longevity.
Obstetrical errors can cause birth injuries such as:
· Brachial plexus injuries
· Brain injuries
· Cerebral palsy
· Erb's palsy
· Untreated jaundice
· Infections
· Meconium aspiration
· Seizures
· Excessive bleeding
· Fractures
· Intracranial hemorrhage
· Spasticity
· Paralysis
· Stillbirth
Obstetrical errors which cause birth injuries include:
· Improper use of delivery instruments
· Failure to monitor fetus
· Failure to respond to fetal distress
· Failure to perform a timely c-section
· Failure to monitor mother
· Failure to respond to medical problems in the mother
· Inappropriate medications administered to the mother
· Failure to monitor and treat newborns
Misdiagnosis
A misdiagnosis can include failure to diagnose, delayed diagnosis, or an incorrect diagnosis. The result of misdiagnosis is typically delayed treatment or no treatment at all. Harm can be immediate, such as failure to diagnose a stroke or heart attack or more long term such as failure to diagnose cancer. Conditions which are commonly misdiagnosed include:
· Heart attack
· Stroke
· Cancer
· Meningitis
· Brain injury
· Neck fractures
Prescription Error
Medication errors are, in most cases, avoidable. Prescribing physicians, nurses administering medications, pharmacists, and pharmaceutical companies are among the many possible parties who may be held responsible for prescription errors. Common prescription errors include:
· Medication which is inappropriate for the medical condition
· Medication which is inappropriate for patient based on medical history
· Multiple prescriptions given in inappropriate combinations
· Experimental drugs prescribed without patient consent
· Incorrect dose
· Administering the wrong medication
· Administering a medication to the wrong patient
· Emergency rooms administering pain medications or sedatives to an intoxicated patient
Surgical Error
While some surgical errors are easily corrected and do not result in any long-term harm, many forms of surgical error are catastrophic, causing serious illness, permanent disability, or death. Surgical errors include:
· Wrong site surgery - including removing the wrong organ or limb, surgery on the wrong part of the body, or surgery on the wrong patient
· Anesthesia error
· Use of surgical instruments which have not been properly sterilized
· Sponges, instruments, etc, left inside patient, leading to infection and injury
Nursing Home Neglect
Nursing home neglect or abuse can quickly cause an irreversible decline in health and often results in death. Frighteningly, according to a study released by the U.S. House of Representatives, nearly one-third of all nursing homes were cited for an abuse violation in the two-year period of 1999-2000. Nursing home neglect includes failure to provide:
· Adequate fluids
· Adequate nutrition
· Assistance with bathing and other personal hygiene needs
· Proper clothing and shelter
· Medication
· Medical care
· Protection from safety hazards
· Adequate supervision
These are just a few of the most common types of medical malpractice. There are many more including dental malpractice, psychiatric malpractice, and cosmetic surgery malpractice, all of which can cause substantial harm. Sexual misconduct with a patient by any type of healthcare professional is also medical malpractice.
If you or a loved one has been seriously injured or died due to any type of medical malpractice, you should contact an experienced medical malpractice attorney today. In Washington and Oregon, the medical malpractice attorneys at Fuller & Fuller can evaluate your medical malpractice claim and help you through this difficult time.
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