Medical professionals don’t ever intend to make mistakes, but errors can happen even in the highly precise profession. When patient injuries occur due to doctor or hospital staff errors, medical malpractice claims can arise. As personal injury attorneys know, the following mistakes happen most frequently and often lead to lawsuits.

Most Common Doctor & Hospital Medical Malpractice Errors

1. Misdiagnosis

Signs and symptoms of different diseases often mimic one another. When physicians don’t perform the correct tests or radiologists misread X-ray or MRI results, patients may receive an incorrect diagnosis and suffer harm as a result. If a disease progresses or a condition worsens before being discovered, doctors can be liable for medical malpractice damages. 

2. Medication Errors

Once a doctor makes a proper diagnosis, giving the right medication might be the key to a patient’s recovery. A physician might prescribe the right drug in the wrong dosage, or a nurse might give a dosage too often. Hospital pharmacists might likewise misread a proper prescription or not see that the patient takes other drugs that cause an adverse reaction. These situations can be grounds for medical malpractice claims.

3. Anesthesia Errors

Anesthesiologists must choose anesthetics that are appropriate for their patients and monitor them before, during, and after surgery. Giving too little can cause the patient unnecessary pain, and too much can lead to a coma or wrongful death. Personal injury attorneys pursue such medical malpractice claims on behalf of patients or their estates.    

4. Surgical Errors

Numerous surgical errors can occur before and during a procedure. Surgeons might operate on the wrong patient, or on the right patient but the wrong body part. They might damage an organ, tissue, or muscle during surgery. If a nurse fails to remove a surgical sponge or gauze from the patient’s body before the surgeon closes the incision, the hospital may be liable. 

The personal injury attorneys at Goddard & Hammontree LLC are experienced in identifying medical malpractice and dedicated to pursuing claims successfully on behalf of injured clients. Based in Dalton, GA, they offer wise counsel and effective representation in cases throughout Whitfield County and the state of Georgia. Call (706) 278-0464 today to schedule a free confidential consultation about your case. Visit these dynamic attorneys online now to learn more about their experience in all their practice areas.