When you go to a hospital, you expect to receive the best care possible. But did you know that medical errors result in around 250,000 deaths every year in the U.S. alone?
That makes medical mistakes one of the leading causes of death after cancer and heart disease. From misdiagnosed conditions to medication mix-ups, these errors can have serious consequences.
You can take steps to protect yourself and your loved ones. While you cannot control everything that happens in a hospital, being proactive can help you avoid preventable mistakes. Here is how to be your own advocate in a healthcare setting.
What Are Medical Errors?
Medical errors are avoidable mistakes that happen in a healthcare facility, causing health complications or death. They can happen during diagnosis, treatment, surgery, medication administration, or aftercare.
Healthcare professionals strive to offer safe and effective treatment. However, medical errors can still happen due to human mistakes, system failures, and miscommunication.
Most Common Causes of Medical Errors
Most medication errors are caused by human mistakes. They mostly happen in hospitals but can also occur in pharmacies and outpatient facilities. Common causes of medical errors include:
Failure to Check Patients' Medical History
Your medical history has information about your medication, previous diagnoses, and allergies. So, your doctor must review your medical history before treating you. Otherwise, they cannot make informed decisions about your treatment and medication options.
Inadequate Patient Education
You may make a medication error if you do not receive sufficient instructions on how to properly use your medications. To reduce the risk of errors, you should:
Ask your doctor or pharmacist to give you written information about your medications. This includes details about potential side effects and interactions.
Educate yourself about your medications. Ensure you know their purpose, how to properly take them, and their prescribed dosage.
Use a pill organizer to help you remember when and how to take your drugs.
Overworked Medical Professionals
Doctors and nurses who work while tired tend to commit medical errors. They could select the wrong medication or give patients incorrect dosages. You can experience serious consequences as a result of these mistakes.
Drugs or Alcohol Use
Healthcare professionals are likely to make huge medical mistakes when they attend to patients under the influence of alcohol or drugs. That is because alcohol and drugs affect how one thinks and acts. As such, they can make errors such as misdiagnosis or prescribing the wrong drug.
Miscommunication Among Doctors, Nurses, and Staff
Several people collaborate to deliver medical care to patients. Communication breakdowns between doctors, nurses, and other medical staff increase the likelihood of medical errors.
How to Prove a Medical Error Lawsuit
To prove a medical error in court, you must demonstrate the following elements:
Doctor-Patient Relationship
You must prove that you had a patient-doctor relationship with the person in question. You form this relationship when you seek medical care from the provider, who agrees to diagnose or treat your condition.
It’s easy to prove a patient-doctor relationship. All you need to do is provide relevant medical bills and records indicating drug purchases and hospital appointments.
Duty of Care
A healthcare provider takes on a duty of care when they enter a patient-doctor relationship. Duty of care means that the healthcare provider must provide you with care that meets the accepted medical standards.
In other words, they should diagnose your condition accurately, prescribe the right medication and treatment, and follow established medical practices.
Breach of Duty
You have to prove that the provider did not provide you with standard medical care. You may need to bring in a medical expert who will describe the appropriate standard of care. The expert should also demonstrate how the provider failed to meet the standard of care when treating you.
The Breach Caused the Injury
You must prove that the actions of the medical professional caused you to suffer the injuries. You can use medical evidence or expert opinions to link the healthcare provider's actions to your injuries.
However, your case will be rejected if you were already injured or sick when you sought medical care from the provider.
The Harm Resulted in Damages
You must be able to prove that the provider’s actions caused you to suffer measurable losses. These damages can include:
Loss of income
Medical bills
Lost earning capacity
Reduced quality of life
What Is the Timeframe for Filing a Medical Malpractice Lawsuit in Illinois?
You must sue for medical malpractice within a given timeframe. Otherwise, your lawsuit will be rejected.
In Illinois, the statute of limitation for medical malpractice lawsuits is two years. But if you discover your injuries later on, you may have up to four years to file a lawsuit.
It is best to act as soon as possible if you sustain an injury caused by medical malpractice. Acting soon gives you enough time to take appropriate action.
Tips to Help Protect Yourself From Medical Errors
You can protect yourself from medical errors by using these tips:
Keep your healthcare provider informed about all your current medications. Some over-the-counter medications may interact with prescription drugs and produce dangerous effects. Healthcare providers cannot protect you from these interactions if they are unaware of all the substances you are taking.
Bring someone with you to hospital appointments. When you are in the company of a trusted family member, friend, or caregiver, they can help prevent medical errors and ensure you get proper treatment.
Do not accept any medication without checking. Before taking any medication, you need to verify that the drug being administered is intended for your use. Make sure to also ask about the effects you should expect from your medication. This helps you determine if there is any mistake with your medication.
Insist on sanitary care. You may get infections during your stay in the hospital. Do not hesitate to remind your healthcare providers to sanitize their hands before attending to you.
An Experienced Attorney Can Help You Get Compensated
Medical errors are very common in hospitals. The main causes of these errors include negligence, poor communication, and insufficient training.
Avoid becoming a victim by staying informed and asking the right questions. And if you or a loved one gets injured due to medical errors, you can always file a lawsuit against the at-fault party. An experienced attorney can help you get compensated rightfully.
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