The Top 5 Most Common Types Of Medical Malpractice Claims

We put a lot of faith in our doctors and other health care workers when it comes to our health. So when something goes wrong, it can be physically and financially devastating. The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality says that one of the top five reasons people die in the United States is bad medical care. Studies show that you or someone you care about has a one-in-four chance of being a victim of medical malpractice in your lifetime.

More than 200,000 people die every year in the United States because of Medical Malpractice. More than die in car accidents from breast cancer or AIDS.

What Is Medical Malpractice?

When a doctor, nurse, or other health care worker breaks the rules set by the medical community, this is called medical malpractice. It could be because of a mistake during treatment, a missed diagnosis, or bad care for the patient.

Every year, more than $3 billion is paid out in damages to hurt patients in the United States because of mistakes made by doctors. Only cases that have been filed and won are counted in this number.

The common causes of Medical Malpractice are as follows (MD May 2014) :

Diagnosis: 33%

Surgery: 23%

Treatment: 18%

Obstetrics: 10%

Medication/Anesthesia: 10%

Others: 6%

There are five main types of claims for medical malpractice:

1. Misdiagnosis or Failure to Diagnose

Misdiagnosis can be very dangerous and even lead to death or serious health problems. In some cases, a doctor might give the wrong diagnosis to a patient because they don’t know the signs of the illness. In other cases, a doctor might not figure out what’s wrong, which can also be fatal.

2. Improper Treatment or Surgery

Surgery is a very important thing. It can mean the difference between life and death. Not all surgeries are successful, though. Patients are sometimes given the wrong treatment or surgery. It can hurt or hurt your health for the rest of your life. Contact Pacific Personal Injury if you had bad care or surgery. You can ask for a settlement to cover your injuries.

3. Prescription Errors

Roughly 7,000 people die each year in the United States because of misjudgments with prescriptions. That’s almost the same as twenty people every day.

Prescription mistakes can be caused by several things, such as the wrong dose, the wrong drug, wrong information about the patient, or drug interactions. The most common kind of mistake on a prescription is an incorrect dose.

If you or someone you care about gets hurt because of a prescription mistake, you might be able to sue the doctor or pharmacy that made a mistake.

4. Birth Injuries

Every year, about 3.8 million babies are born in the United States. About 120,000 of these babies will be hurt in some way at birth. It means that 3.3% of babies are injured when they are born.

Some of the most common reasons for birth injuries are problems with the umbilical cord, the placenta, or the baby’s position in the womb.

Birth injuries can range from being mild to being so bad that they could kill the baby.

5. Wrongful Death

About 130,000 people die each year in the United States because of someone else’s wrongdoing.

When someone dies because of someone else’s wrongdoing, that person or group can be sued by the person’s or group’s family. Most of the time, the money goes to the family to pay for medical bills and other costs related to the death. Someone’s negligence or wrongdoing leads to wrongful death. When someone dies because of someone else’s gross negligence, the person’s family can file a “wrongful death” suit. Cases of wrongful death vary. Such as car accidents, mistakes in health care, and accidents at work.

Talk To Us!

Claims for medical malpractice can be hard to prove and expensive to pursue. If you were hurt because of bad medical care, you should talk to an experienced personal injury lawyer about your options. The Pacific Personal Injury Law Group can help. Call us at (661) 535-0236 or check out our website.