Medical errors result in 325,000 deaths annually, report says

When a doctor, surgeon, nurse or any medical staff member makes a mistake, it can greatly affect a patient’s health. The patient may not receive the correct medication, or they may not receive the proper dosage of the correct medicine; the patient may suffer an injury or complications stemming from a surgical error; a doctor may misdiagnose a patient’s condition, leading that patient (and even medical staff members) down a treatment path that is completely wrong.

There are myriad other mistakes that can occur when you are receiving medical treatment, and they can cause a patient severe or even fatal harm. Granted, in the grand scheme of things, these mistakes are uncommon — but they still happen often enough that they are a concern. For example, did you know that a recent report found that roughly 325,000 people die every year as a result of medical errors?

Lives are turned upside down by medical errors, and it isn’t just the patient who is affected. The patient’s loved ones may be without one of their own as a result of a medical error, which greatly affects them emotionally and financially. When a medical error occurs, the victims need support during this time. One of the ways they can help themselves is by holding the responsible medical personnel and/or medical institutions responsible in civil court with a medical malpractice lawsuit.

Money may be the last thing you want to think about after a medical error has ravaged your life, but really a civil lawsuit isn’t always about the money. It’s about holding reckless people responsible for their actions, and hopefully that justice helps the plaintiff move on from the incident, while also spurring the defendant to become more responsible.

Source: FierceHealthcare, “Updated medical errors report shows progress,” Zach Burdyk, July 11, 2014