Most Common Medical Malpractice Claims

Medical malpractice is one of the leading causes of premature death in the United States, with 195,000 patients dying yearly due to preventable mistakes. These mistakes can have a life-altering impact on the lives of victims, from loss of income to permanent disability. A patient who is not properly treated may hold the medical professional liable for compensation for injuries or illness. 

Common Malpractice Claims

Let’s look at some of the most common medical malpractice claims below. 

1. Misdiagnosis or failure to diagnose. The medical professional may fail to take the patient’s concerns seriously and therefore not diagnose the condition. Or, they may miss the signs and symptoms of the illness completely. It is also possible that they have mistaken the condition for another one. Regardless of the physician’s reason for misdiagnosis or failure to diagnose, the patient deserves to have their condition diagnosed correctly. A misdiagnosis or failure to diagnose can result in serious illness or injury in the patient. 
2. Prescription errors. Prescribing the incorrect medication for the condition, or prescribing an insufficient or extreme dose may make the medical professional liable. 
3. Childbirth errors. Roughly 700-900 women perish each year due to childbirth errors caused by a medical professional, according to the CDC. 
4. Surgical errors. According to the NCBI, at least 4,000 surgical errors occur each year in the United States each year. One common source of error is operating on an incorrect body part. An interesting finding to note is that errors are more common before and after the surgery rather than during the surgery itself.
5. Anesthesia errors. These can include either giving too much or too little anesthesia to the patient, failing to monitor the patient, or even intubating the patient incorrectly, which often causes tooth damage. 

Medical Malpractice Attorney in Kentuckiana

On top of the emotional and physical toll, the costs of these deaths to the victims, their families, taxpayers, and the healthcare system amounts to billions of dollars each year. If you or someone you know has been affected by a physician’s malpractice in the Louisville, Kentucky area, please give us a call today at (502)771-0741.