Are Doctors Allowed to Make Mistakes?

On the surface, this may seem like a benign question. You may be thinking that we’re all human and everyone makes a mistake now and again, right? However, when we put our lives or the lives of loved ones in the hands of a doctor, we expect perfection. One wrong judgment, one missed clue for a proper diagnosis or one wrong treatment choice and the results can be devastating.

According to the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), over 225,000 people die each year directly or indirectly due to the diagnosis or treatment from a doctor. Of those 225,000 deaths, 12,000 are because of unnecessary surgery, 7,000 are medication errors, 80,000 are due to infections in a hospital and 20,000 to other hospital errors. These types of negligence are considered medical malpractice.

In the United States, deaths from medical malpractice rank third, just behind heart disease and cancer. There are many forms of medical malpractice and some of the most common forms are:

· Failure to diagnose cancer
· Failure to diagnose other diseases, like heart disease
· Birth injuries, including cerebral palsy
· Misdiagnosis
· Improper treatment
· Medication errors
· Hospital errors
· Hospital infections, such as sepsis

Errors and negligence happen for a number of reasons in our healthcare system. Sometimes it’s due to carelessness, sometimes due to fatigue or overworked medical professionals, and sometimes to a lack of specialists available. Whatever the reasons, though, medical professionals and institutions must be held accountable for their actions and how those actions affect their patients.

If you suspect that you or a loved one has been a victim of medical malpractice, you should contact a personal injury attorney that specializes in medical malpractice cases. According to Brian J. Glick of the Glick Law in Boca Raton, “Medical malpractice cases are particularly complex and take time to investigate. And in some states, like Florida, there is a statute of limitations for filing medical practice claims. It’s important to have someone on your side that is familiar with these types of cases.”

An experienced attorney can help you recover compensation for medical expenses, pain and suffering, loss of wages and psychological suffering, as well as other potential categories, depending on the specifics of your case.