When people go to the hospital for medical treatment or surgery, they expect
that the medical professionals responsible for their care will do the
best job possible. The last thing on your mind is suffering further injury.
According to U.S. News, more than 200,000 people die from preventable medical
errors each year, and up to 20 times more likely to suffer from errors
that severely injure them. A
new study suggests that medical errors in hospitals and other healthcare facilities
are now the third-leading cause of death in the United States every year,
which is more than accidents, respiratory disease, stroke, and Alzheimer’s.
The most common preventable medical errors include:
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Medication errors. Known as the most common type of medical error, mistakes regarding medication
are also the most preventable. Administering medication based on inadequate
information, lack of proper warning labels, and miscommunication errors
due to poor handwriting are some examples of common medication errors.
Avoid this problem by understanding what exactly you are taking and how
much of it.
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Infection. We expect hospitals to be clean and uphold strict hygiene and sanitation
measures. However, given the high traffic of people with various infections
every day, workers can become contaminated and spread the illness on to
patients who weren’t ill to begin with. Always ask your doctor if
he or she washed their hands after visiting the last patient and practice
effective hygiene techniques.
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Poor communication. Communication errors can occur between patient and doctor, as well as
between doctor and other medical professionals. With a multitude of patients
to look after, tests to perform, and lab results to review, the potential
for miscommunication is extremely high. Take it upon yourself to help
your doctor remember every test you took and update your medical history
consistently.
If you sustained an injury due to the negligent actions of a healthcare
provider in Pennsylvania,
contact our Philadelphia medical malpractice lawyer at
Shrager & Sachs today.