When you are hurt or become ill, you have the right to expect competent medical care from the doctors, surgeons, and medical staff that treat you.
However, doctors or other healthcare professionals often make serious mistakes when treating patients. According to a study by safety experts at Johns Hopkins , medical malpractice is the third leading cause of death in the United States. The study revealed that more than , Americans die because of medical malpractice that could have been prevented.
Medical malpractice occurs when a healthcare professional such as a doctor, nurse, or even a hospital harms a patient through negligence or error. This type of negligence can happen in many ways — either through failure to diagnose, improper treatment, misdiagnosis, surgical mistakes, or prescribing the wrong medication.
Most medical professionals are competent and work hard to make sure that they meet the standards of their peers and their profession. The unfortunate fact is that some healthcare personnel can make critical mistakes that can lead to catastrophic injuries or even death.
There is always the possibility that a doctor will make a crucial error when operating on a patient or fail to diagnose a serious illness.
