Medical Negligence And Pharmaceutical Injury
Although the field of medicine is not perfect, doctors and medical staff must be accountable for their actions. Injuries suffered as a result of medical negligence are very serious because patients already have a medical condition prior to seeing treatment. Negligent or reckless behavior on behalf of the doctors or other staff can have fatal repercussions.
Medical negligence can occur for a number of reasons at any stage of the medical process. It can result from an action taken by a medical practitioner, or by the failure to take a medically necessary action. Examples of medical negligence include:
- Misdiagnosis: A problem must be correctly diagnosed in order to treat. If the information regarding a diagnosis is incorrect, a patient and doctor cannot select the right treatment, and the recovery process cannot begin.
- Emergency Room Errors: Because patients come into the ER with severe problems, there is a very little room for medical errors. This makes emergency room errors one of the most severe, often resulting in death if a mistake is made. The overcrowding in the ER also makes is easier for clerical errors to occur, which can cause a number of disastrous problems.
- Improper Treatment: Treatment may be the most significant part of the process. The road to recovery begins by addressing a patient’s ailments. Improper treatment can allow the medical condition to worsen or cause complications that can result in severe harm.
- Lack of Informed Consent: Informed consent means that your doctor must describe your medical condition, the treatment, and any possible side effects in full detail. Signing your name or agreeing to a procedure does not always mean you have given informed consent. If you have agreed to a procedure without being made fully aware of the consequences, the doctor may be held accountable.
- Surgical Errors: Each surgery is complex, and there are countless ways to make a mistake during an involved procedure. Sometimes surgeons will mistakenly operate on the wrong patient, perform the incorrect procedure or operate on the wrong site. Other surgical errors include improper suturing, leaving foreign objects in the body, mishandling surgical instruments and making anesthesia errors.
- Hospital Negligence: From record-keeping errors to a lack of staff communication, there are countless mistakes that can be made by any hospital employee.
All of these mistakes are preventable; therefore it is imperative that the appropriate party is held responsible for their actions.
Pharmaceutical Injury
Prescription drugs can work wonders to improve and save lives. But unfortunately, patients who have relied on certain medications have suffered serious harm.
The competitive and profitable pharmaceutical industry can pose a serious risk to consumers. Because drug manufacturing companies market their pharmaceuticals so aggressively, they tend to ignore or downplay potential health risks. This means that by the time negative side effects are discovered and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recalls the drug, tons of people have already been exposed to the dangers.
Common Pharmaceutical Injuries
While side effects will vary depending on the type of drug, common pharmaceutical injuries include:
- Heart attack
- Stroke
- Diabetes
- Suicide
- Kidney damage
- Liver damage and/or failure
The law cannot reverse the damage caused by a pharmaceutical injury. However, by collecting compensation, victims and their families do not have to worry about medical bills and other costs. Compensation also holds guilty parties accountable for their actions.
Article Source : The Cochran Firm – Medical Negligence And Pharmaceutical Injury : ArticleBase
Erich Shrefler
If you or a loved one has been a victim of medical negligence, please visit the website for The Cochran Firm, serving clients nationwide.
Posted on February 13th, 2010 | By: admin | Filed under Malpractice, Plaintiff Lawsuit Funding