Common Mistakes That Doctors Make

Even the very best doctors can make a mistake here and there.  There are medical mistakes that are more common than others that can lead to major issues down the road for their patients.

Here is a list of some of the most common mistakes that doctors make.

Misdiagnosis – this is one of the most common areas that lead to malpractice complaints.  Failure to recognize a disease when it could have been preventable or cured, or prescribing a treatment method for the wrong condition.

Surgery Errors – There is a news case that comes up from time to time where a doctor operated on the wrong body part.  The chart could have been incorrect or the doctor may have misread it.

Anesthesia Errors – these can be more damaging than operating on the wrong body part.  A patient can wake up during surgery if not enough is given.  Or if too much anesthesia is administered it can result in brain damage or even death.

Infection – If a doctor or nurse staff does not properly scrub their hands or does not wear sanitized gowns for surgery they can possibly infect the area being operated on with germs and other bacteria. Patients can actually die from infections spread by the hospital staff.

Leaving Something Behind – If the surgical staff miscounts or fails to count all of their tools,  cloths and other items before closing up a patient it is possible to leave an item inside of a patient.

Treating the Wrong Patient – If patients have similar names, conditions, or appearance it is possible to treat a patient with the wrong condition.  Be sure that your wristband contains all of your correct information once you receive one.

If any of these sounds like something you have gone through, then you should contact Ask 4 SAM.