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Patients can suffer injuries from these common doctor errors

On Behalf of | Oct 13, 2016 | Doctor Errors |

Oregon residents turn to medical professionals in order to find a cure for an illness or treatment for an injury. They do not expect doctor errors to end up causing them more harm. Unfortunately, there are several common mistakes that physicians make that could end up causing serious or fatal injuries to unsuspecting patients.

In 2015, the Institute of Medicine issued a report that lists misdiagnosis as the number one reason that people receive payouts for medical malpractice claims. Research indicates that as much as 10 percent of patient deaths are caused by a mistaken or missed diagnosis. Even more common ailments such as congestive heart failure, cancer and pneumonia can be missed by doctors, which could lead to permanent injuries or death.

Surgical errors occur often enough that many medical facilities require surgical teams to get together prior to a procedure in order to ensure that errors such as operating on the wrong body part or patient do not happen. Adverse drug events are also still an issue in many cases. If a medication is not correctly prescribed, filled or administered, a patient can be harmed. Furthermore, if a doctor is not aware of the latest treatments or diagnostic tools, it could delay a patient receiving the correct treatment in a timely manner. 

These are not the only doctor errors that can occur, but they are some of the most common that occur. If an Oregon resident believes that he or she was the victim of a medical mistake, it would be beneficial to contact an attorney. After a review of the situation and the circumstances that led to the injury or death, it can be determined whether a medical malpractice claim would be appropriate.

Source: tricountysentry.com, “Twelve Medical Mistakes That Can Harm You”, Rich Laliberte, Oct. 6, 2016

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