There are many kinds of medical mistakes that can threaten you as a patient. Among them are misdiagnoses, unnecessary treatments and uncoordinated care.
Each of these mistakes or problems in a hospital setting can lead to a patient suffering serious injuries or result in death. These issues have to be taken seriously. If you’re hurt because of one of these mistakes, you’re well within your rights to look into your legal options.
1. Misdiagnoses
A misdiagnosis can happen in two ways. First, you could be misdiagnosed as healthy when you aren’t. Second, you can be misdiagnosed as unhealthy when you aren’t. After the initial misdiagnosis, you could also be diagnosed with the wrong condition such as asthma instead of lung cancer or shinsplints instead of a blood clot. These misdiagnoses can be fatal in some cases.
2. Receiving unnecessary treatment
Another problem is receiving treatments you don’t need. For example, if you have asthma, you’d expect to receive treatment for an attack in the form of bronchodilators. You might be given corticosteroids as well. However, if the condition is actually cancer, you could be receiving treatments you don’t need. They could even be hurting you.
3. Uncoordinated care
Another serious issue is receiving uncoordinated care. Without coordinating care correctly, you may not receive the best care. You might end up receiving dual doses of medications or never see a doctor after a surgery. Poor communication is a truly devastating problem that can lead to death.
These are three types of errors that are inexcusable in the medical field. If you’re hurt or if you lose a loved one, know that you can look into ways of obtaining compensation.