When you visit the doctor’s office or hospital, you expect to receive competent and disciplined medical care from highly-educated medical professionals.
“Never events” are errors that should never occur in healthcare facilities but are actually much more common than you might expect.
Care management events
Doctors, nurses and other healthcare professionals have an ethical duty to follow specific diagnostic and treatment protocols. When they make mistakes, vulnerable and scared patients suffer. A few things that should never happen in patient care include:
- Medication errors leading to disability or death
- Birth injuries causing infant or maternal disability or death
- Delayed diagnoses or failure to diagnose illness
Surgical events
Your surgical team is highly trained and well-practiced. However, they are human beings who get distracted and make critical errors. Cases of negligence during surgery can result in:
- Performing surgery on the wrong patient or body part
- Leaving tools or equipment inside a patient’s body after surgery
- Failing to comply with post-operative care procedures
Product or device failures
The companies who make medical equipment are also liable for patient health while using their products. Failures in the production process can lead to:
- Manufacturing defects in medical devices or products
- Contaminated devices or drugs
Additionally, prescribing or recommending a device for uses other than its intended use can harm patients and constitutes malpractice.
If you or your loved one is a victim of medical malpractice, you deserve the chance to seek compensation for your pain, and you want to hold the responsible parties accountable for their negligence.