The 5 Most Common Types of Medical Errors

Medical errors are no joke. They can cost you additional money, time, and ultimately your well-being or even your life. Look out for these common types of medical errors next time you are in the hospital. You deserve high-quality, error-free medical care; if you don’t receive exactly that, Rossman Law Group is here to help.

Misdiagnosis

An incorrect diagnosis can put your treatment plan on the wrong path and cause harm in the future. The wrong treatment can intensify your illness and make it more difficult to treat once it is correctly diagnosed. Misdiagnosis can lead to unnecessary surgical procedures, incorrect medications, and aggressive treatments that make the problem worse.

Delayed Diagnosis

Occasionally, doctors will insist there’s nothing wrong with you, even when you are clearly suffering. If a delay in diagnosis severely exacerbates your illness, talk to a medical malpractice attorney in Boise, ID, about your legal options. No doctor should spend months telling you to “get over it” if you know you are sick.

Prescription Error

The wrong medication can make your existing symptoms worse or even introduce new symptoms into the mix. Some medication names sound so similar that doctors can mix them up, like clonidine (a medicine for high blood pressure) and clonazepam (a benzodiazepine used for seizures and panic disorders).

Infection

Healthcare professionals have a duty to keep hospital settings as clean as possible. Sterile working conditions are especially crucial in the operating room. If you’ve undergone surgery and are dealing with an infection afterward, ask your medical team how it happened. Someone in the operating room may have been lax in sterilizing surgical instruments.

Communication Error

Many doctors these days work in large hospital systems alongside other healthcare professionals. Precise and correct communication is crucial for proper patient care. If your primary care physician refers you to a specialist, they should be sharing notes and communicating with one another. Failure to do so can lead to important diagnoses slipping through the cracks.

While you shouldn’t be scared by the most common types of medical errors, you should be aware of them as you navigate hospital settings. Ask questions when you have them, and remain an active participant in your care. If you suspect you’ve fallen victim to a medical error, tell your story to an attorney at Rossman Law Group.