Florida residents generally assume that they’re in safe hands when they go to the doctor, regardless of the reason why. After all, they’ve been practicing for years and in many cases, there are whole teams of doctors dedicated to your health and safety.
Unfortunately, medical errors can and do still happen. It’s not a bad idea to be informed about the realities of medical malpractice when you’re seeking medical attention.
Stats about medical mistakes
A study released in 2016 analyzed just over eight years of data to see how common medical mistakes were. Shockingly, their study suggested that medical mistakes were the third leading cause of death in the United States. The study estimated that over 250,000 people died each year due to medical mistakes that could have been prevented.
What are the most common mistakes?
The most common medical malpractice examples can fly under the radar with ease. Oftentimes, the mistakes come with the instructions that doctors give patients regarding drugs and aftercare treatment.
For example, drug errors make up a huge portion of medical mistakes. Drug errors could be misuse/over-prescription of antibiotics or prescribing an incorrect dose.
Many hospitals might fail to properly care for patients who are on in-hospital bed rest. This causes unnecessary atrophy of the muscles and even bed sores that could get infected.
Why don’t we hear about medical mistakes more?
There are some discrepancies in how medical errors are documented. For example, the CDC doesn’t count medical errors as a separate cause of death – especially if the person was already sick or injured.
It can be hard to realize that an illness or injury could’ve been prevented by the hospital. If you believe that you or a loved one was unnecessarily harmed by a medical mistake, it’s important to research your options to get proper help.