There are several different types of medical malpractice. While mistakes made by doctors, nurses and healthcare facilities are quite rare, they do happen on occasion. Unfortunately, some of them are made more often than others. Failing to provide proper medical attention and/or treatment can result in a lawsuit. Here are the most common types of medical malpractice:
Misdiagnosis
Misdiagnoses are one of the most common types of medical malpractices. There are many situations where a health care provider may accidentally give a misdiagnosis. This doesn’t necessarily mean that there is always a medical malpractice lawsuit to be made, but if the misdiagnosis results in harm, life-threatening or even fatal complications, then you could very well have a viable case. The most common diseases and conditions misdiagnosed include:
- Tumours or masses inside the body
- Blood clot in the lung (pulmonary embolism)
- Heart attack
- Heart disease
Negligence that Affected Pregnancy and Childbirth
Despite the ample supply of highly trained doctors, medical staff and advanced technology that we are fortunate to have access to, medical malpractice continues to occur during pregnancy and childbirth. Pregnancy is complex, and not all problems are the result of medical negligence. However, sometimes, problems that affect both the mother and child during pregnancy and childbirth are the result of the obstetrician committing malpractice. The following injuries are some of the leading medical problems seen with this type of medical malpractice:
- Excessively long labour that results in an injury to the mother and baby
- Excessive and/or unexplained vaginal bleeding
- Placental abnormalities
- Gestational diabetes
- Haemorrhage of the mother
- Surgical negligence during a C-section
- Preeclampsia
- Premature babies
- Nerve injury of the baby or shoulder dystocia
Surgical Errors
Surgery is another complex and inherently risky medical process. As a result, mistakes made by surgeons and anaesthesiologists do occur. Sometimes, surgeons even perform the wrong operation on the wrong body part or the wrong patient. Anaesthesia-related negligence is also a common mistake made by surgeons, whether they provide too little, too much, the wrong kind, or fail to follow proper procedures. The most common areas where surgical errors are performed include the spine and gastrointestinal tract. As for the most common surgical errors, they are as follows:
- Damaging a nerve
- Leaving a foreign object in the patient
- Failing to control bleeding
- Negligent post-op care
Mistakes Prescribing or Administering Prescriptions
Medication is dangerous because it affects each patient differently. Consequently, doctors, nurses and pharmacists can make mistakes when prescribing or administering prescription drugs. Some common scenarios of this malpractice include:
- Accidently transpose of a decimal
- Too little or too much medication prescribed due to negligence
- Wrong amount filled at the pharmacy
Seeking medical attention from an educated and experienced doctor is usually a safe option. However, there are some situations where medical malpractice can occur. If this happens to you, speaking with a medical malpractice lawyer should definitely be considered.