When someone visits a doctor’s office or hospital, they usually do it because they’re experiencing an illness, suffering from an injury, or undergoing some other physical problem. During that visit, that person places their health, and sometimes their life, in the hands of a physician or surgeon expertly trained to administer care. Unfortunately, sometimes mistakes happen even to experts, and at other times this trust is misplaced. Studies conducted by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality reveal that the majority of medical errors are preventable. According to a recent Healthgrades study, preventable medical error accounted for an average of 195,000 hospital deaths in each of the years 2000, 2001, and 2002. These shocking statistics highlight the need for even ordinary patients to learn how to better protect themselves and their family when seeking out medical care.
Many factors can contribute to healthcare errors and medical malpractice. Lack of knowledge or board certification, inattention to detail, over-extended schedule (seeing too many patients to devote enough time to each one), poor communication, illegible handwriting, improper documentation, inadequate nurse-to-patient ratio, hiring incompetent staff, or simple carelessness are all potential causes of injury. With so many contributing factors and such severe consequences, the problem of medical malpractice can be extremely difficult to combat. The best way for you to avoid falling victim to medical malpractice is to educate yourself about every level of the process, and learn how to take steps to avoid situations that may make you susceptible to a preventable medical error.
InjuryBoard has compiled the following information to help you and your family avoid the pitfalls of potentially dangerous medical malpractice situations. By using these articles as a guide, you can learn about the serious consequences of medical errors, some important questions to ask when choosing a physician, what to do if you’re injured by medical error, and what you need to know about the legal process in medical malpractice cases.
To help you stay safe and learn more, the valuable information in this Help Center is broken down into five easy to understand articles:
In each of these articles you will find expert analysis, key strategies, and bottom line advice to help you face the issues surrounding medical malpractice. By reading and putting this information into practice, you will become better-equipped to tackle any medical error problems you may face, and hopefully be able to avoid medical malpractice all together.