Common Types of Medical Errors That Lead to Lawsuits

Mistakes in diagnosis, therapy, surgery, medicine, or patient management that lead to damage or death are called medical errors. A medical malpractice claim may arise if a clinician’s failure to adhere to accepted medical standards led to these mistakes.

Law firms like the Law Offices of Dr. Bruce G. Fagel & Associates, a Los Angeles medical malpractice law firm, are known for the assistance they provide to individuals affected by negligence. Medical malpractice claims are based on evidence and frequently need an expert to look at the records and show that the mistake caused harm. Knowing the most common types of mistakes will help you figure out whether legal action could be necessary.

What Are Mistakes in Diagnosis?

A diagnostic error happens when a condition is missed, not found in time, or wrongly identified. These mistakes can make diseases worse and cause treatment opportunities to close.

Some common blunders that doctors make when diagnosing are:

• Missing a cancer or stroke diagnosis
• Diagnosis took too long after clear signs
• Not understanding imaging or lab results
• Not paying attention to a patient’s history and risk factors

The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality says that diagnostic mistakes are still a big problem for patient safety in the US. Courts look at whether a qualified doctor would have made the right diagnosis in the same situation.

How Do Medical Errors Lead to Claims?

Mistakes with medications can happen when they are prescribed, given out, or taken. Even tiny mistakes in dosage can lead to serious problems.

Common patterns of drug errors include:

• Wrong medication given
• Wrong amount or frequency
• Drug interactions that are dangerous
• Ignored allergy warnings

Every year, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) records thousands of unsafe medication incidents. Lawsuits are about whether safety checks were missed or warnings were ignored.

What Kinds of Surgical Mistakes Lead to Lawsuits?

Surgical carelessness typically causes major injury right away. There is a lot of evidence for these occurrences in operation reports and hospital records.

Some examples might include:

• Surgery on the wrong area of the body
• Retained surgical instruments
• Errors in giving anesthesia
• Infections after surgery that can be avoided

Review panels and skilled surgeons are usually the ones who decide if there were any procedural violations.

Are Birth Injuries a Common Type of Malpractice Claim?

Cases of birth injuries make up a large part of malpractice lawsuits because the damage can last a lifetime. These claims look at fetal monitoring, when the baby is born, and how to respond in an emergency.

Common accusations include:

• Not responding to fetal discomfort
• Using distribution tools the wrong way
• Emergency cesarean section that took too long
• Injuries from a lack of oxygen

Liability typically depends on minute-by-minute records of decisions made during labor and delivery.

When Do Problems with Hospital Systems Make Them Liable?

Some lawsuits are caused by system failures instead of the actions of one supplier. Injuries to patients can happen because of problems with staffing, communication, and supervision.

Some mistakes that are related to the system are:

• Bad communication during handoffs
• Not enough monitoring of patients
• Mix-ups with charts and records
• Critical units are short on staff.

When dangerous systems lead to bad results, hospitals may share responsibility.

Key Takeaways

• Medical malpractice claims often arise from errors in diagnosis, medicine, surgery, and childbirth.
• To make a legitimate claim, you need to show that accepted medical standards were not followed.
• In high-value situations, there are often delays in diagnosis and misreads.
• Mistakes with medication typically have to do with the wrong dose, drug interactions, or allergies that weren’t taken into account.
• Detailed records are used to closely look at surgical and birth injuries.
• Failures in the hospital system might lead to joint legal responsibility.
• Expert assessment is an important part of showing carelessness and causation in court.