There are have been many cases of doctors making a wrong diagnosis, prescribing the wrong drugs, leaving surgical instrument inside a patient, etc. Some of these have been life threatening and in certain cases the patient dies a tragic death. What is important to remember is that like in any other profession, people in the health care sector are humans, and like other humans they can also make mistakes.
The only difference is that an error on their part can be life threatening and that’s why they need to work with extra care and diligence. No person in the medical profession wants to cause suffering or pain to a patient who is undergoing their treatment. After all, they belong to the healing profession. All the personnel, from doctors to nurses, have insurance to protect them in case a patient brings a clinical negligence case against them.
Medicine includes healthcare providers such as doctor, nurse, HMO, hospital, and other licensed entities. In medical negligence, the heath service providers do something that a competent doctor would not have done, or fail to do something, that competent doctor would have done in a particular situation. This breach of duty of care may result in personal injury, or wrongful death. In clinical negligence, number of circumstances can lead to the life-threatening situation. Approximately 200,000 people die from the injuries resulting from clinical negligence. It encompasses surgical as well as medication errors.
Wrong prescription followed by misdiagnosis can lead to dire consequences. It results to off site toxicity of the drug. Some drugs need to be administered very carefully. The dose and the duration of the drug have to be managed according to the physical and medical condition of the patient. Unconcerned behaviour of the doctor may result in allergic reactions, causing death.
Clinical negligence often results in birth injuries. Medical negligence before, or after the delivery, can pose threat to the life of the mother as well as the infant. In some cases, medical negligence during the gestation results in abortion, or premature birth. It usually results from frequent and excessive exposure to high power drugs. Moreover, the delayed delivery can also result in wrongful death.
Every year, a large number of deaths occur due to surgical errors. Neural surgeries are very complicated, and risky. Brain and spinal operations require a high level of surgical skill. Many factors such as unreasonable haste, unacceptable delay, inadequate pre-operative investigation, unfavourable surgery conditions, and poor post-operative care can be life threatening.
A minor mistake of the surgeon may paralyse the patient forever. The potential negative consequences include comma, paralysis, or even brain death. These situations arise due to damage of nerves, damage of blood vessels, or any infection. During surgery, the internal organs are exposed to all kind of germs. Unhygienic conditions inside the operation theatre result in life threatening infections.
The negligence of doctor or the medical staff causes serious infections. The infusion of infected blood causes incurable diseases such as hepatitis, and AIDS. Moreover, the use of contaminated surgical equipments causes deadly diseases. Thus, the carelessness on the part of the doctor or medical service provider can pose threat to the life of the patient, or may push him/her into the darkness of paralysis forever.
Medical negligenceHow to bring a claim for Medical Negligence.