On behalf of Smiley & Smiley, LLP posted in Medical Malpractice on Friday, May 5, 2017.

One reason why so many New Yorkers fear going to see their doctors is the growing number of medical malpractice claims they hear about every day. Health care professionals are expected to maintain and adhere to high standards to ensure they provide their patients with the quality of care they deserve. Instead, many of them are making mistakes that endanger their lives. According to HealthcareITNews.com, at least 400,000 people die from medical mistakes that health care professionals make. 

Patients can reduce their chances of becoming medical malpractice victims by learning about the common mistakes that are made. 

Not removing all surgical tools 

Many surgeons are so overworked and distracted while they are in their operating rooms that they fail to remove all of their surgical tools from their patients’ bodies before suturing them back up. Another major contributing factor is that there is a breakdown in communication between the medical staff, states LiveScience.com. In many cases, the missing tools are not noticed until patients complain of pain, experience complications with their recoveries and demand answers. 

Medication errors 

When doctors, nurses and other medical professionals fail to communicate with each other and their patients, they are more likely to wrongly prescribe and improperly administer medications to patients. Many of them confuse similar drug names and do not double check their patients’ charts before prescribing medications. These mistakes often go unnoticed until their patients have adverse reactions to the drugs and become ill or die. 

Many medical mistakes are preventable when proper precautions are taken by both health care professionals and patients.

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