https://www.medlegal360.com/types-of-medical-errors/
Medical error occurs due to the negligence of the healthcare providers leading to patient harm. The different types of medical errors include misdiagnosis, delayed diagnosis, surgical errors, Infections, medication errors, substandard medical devices, premature discharge from care, failure to instruct on home care, communication error and falls.
Misdiagnosis is when a physician or radiologist fails to identify the real cause of the patient’s symptoms and misinterprets as some other issue leading to patient harm. Delayed diagnosis is when a physician or a radiologist fails to identify the health complications behind the patient’s symptoms and neglects it until it became serious. Due to delayed diagnosis, patients lose their chances of early recovery leading to the prolonged hospital stays and pain and suffering. In some cases, it may hinder the chances of recovery leading to the demise of the patient.
Different types of surgical errors form a significant part in adding to the medical error statistics. Operating on the wrong limb or part, leaving surgical instruments inside the patient’s body, wrong dose of anesthesia administration, improper surgical follow up, severing the nerves or tendons or blood vessels during the surgery are some of the instances of surgical errors.
Hospital acquired infections are also considered medical errors. Due to the negligence of the hospital staff or physicians, in-patients may incur deadly infections, bedsores, sepsis, blood clots, organ failures or oxygen deprivation, leading to the patient’s death or life-altering injury.
Medication error is another widely reported medical error haunting the healthcare industry. Recommending wrong medications and dosages, administering wrong drug or dosage, interactions between two deadly drug combinations, pharmacist dispensing wrong medications, mislabeling drugs, and so on are considered as medication errors.
Manufacturing, distributing, and using substandard medical devices also come under medical errors. Faulty medical equipment can harm the consumers very badly ending in life-changing outcomes or death. When the defective medical devices and their harms are identified, it should be reported to the FDA. It would take proper actions like recalls under different classes depending on the level of harm from the product.
Discharging patients before the required level of recovery is achieved is also a type of medical error. Whatever may be the cause of the discharge, when it leads to injuring the patient, the healthcare facilities are held liable for their negligence.
A healthcare facility’s duty does not end by discharging the patient after proper care. Giving proper after care instruction for the complete recuperation of the patient also lies on the providers and facilities. Proper documentation and communication pertaining to the patient’s complications is significant in providing adequate care to him. Any negligence or flaw in this can endanger the life of the patient leading medical malpractice lawsuits.
Another important medical error is not taking care of the elderly or weak patients who are at risk of falls. Fall risk patients should be identified and proper preventive measures should be undertaken. Otherwise the responsible staff would be held liable for their negligence.
Healthcare industry on the whole should be responsible in ensuring the well-being of the patients. When any fault occurs from any one of the members, it could lead to patient harm and medical malpractice lawsuits.
