Camden Medical Malpractice Attorney

We wish we could report that medical mistakes are rare in the United States, but that is not the case. New reports say that they are the third leading cause of death in the country, with some estimates putting the number near 440,000 fatalities a year.

Let’s look at a few of the common ways these mistakes occur.

(This list is not exhaustive and you should always speak to an attorney about your particular case)

• Misdiagnosis: Johns Hopkins researchers tell us that there are many times when doctors, PAs, and nurse practitioners make errors when diagnosing patients. Diagnostic errors can lead to delayed treatment in both emergency situations as well as for chronic diseases.
• Surgical Errors: We have all heard of the “never events” in surgery (operating on the wrong person or body part, leaving objects inside of someone, etc.) We also know that there are many other, less reported, mistakes that are made during surgery that cause just as much patient harm.
• Infections: Each day in the US around one in 30 hospital patients in the hospital acquires an infection. Research shows us that one in three patients who die in the hospital has sepsis, an infection that spreads to the blood and throughout the body.
• Medication Errors: There are supposed to be many checks in place from the time a medication is ordered by the doctor to the time it is dispensed. Yet, many patients still end up getting the wrong medication, the wrong dosage, or they do not receive their medications at all.