Misdiagnosis: The Leading Cause of Medical Malpractice & Wrongful Death Lawsuits
With personal injury lawsuits on the rise across the county, there are a number of different types of cases that account for such claims – from things like drunk driving accidents, on the job injuries, and slip and falls, to medical malpractice claims, and wrongful death lawsuits. In the state of Florida, each year there are more and more cases involving medical malpractice and wrongful deaths. When you ask most people what they think of such claims, the majority of people would say such issues arise from negligent actions or mistakes made on the operating table – however, this isn’t always the case. In fact, according to Ms. Anissa Morris, of Spinner Law Firm, considered to be the best wrongful death lawyer Sarasota has in practice, the leading cause of medical malpractice and wrongful death lawsuits come as a result of poor or misdiagnose made on the part of physicians. Often, these misdiagnoses will lead to doctors administering the wrong or unnecessary treatments or procedures, that lead to patient fatalities. In this article we will delve deeper into the concept of wrongful deaths, and how the wrong diagnosis can often lead to fatalities.
Diagnostic Errors Statistics
According to recent studies in medical journals, diagnostic errors have become the most significant issues in the medical community – with over 34 percent of medical malpractice or wrongful death lawsuits stemming from inaccurate or delayed diagnoses. Often, these issues lead to personal injury lawsuits, and account for about 30% of all compensatory damage payouts. According to Ms. Morris, the best wrongful death lawyer Sarasota has to offer, researchers identified 11,592 claims that alleged diagnostic errors, nearly three-quarters of them stemming from erroneous or missed diagnoses involving the “Big Three” diseases: cancer, infections, and vascular events such as strokes and heart attacks.
Considering that the three most common diseases that lead to a poor diagnosis are also some of the deadliest, its vital that patients or loved ones of patients who have been victims of such errors take as much legal action as possible. By filing personal injury lawsuits, it not only increases a physician’s insurance rates, but it also damages their reputation, hopefully enough so that they think twice and be more precise in their diagnostic approach. In the event you or your loved ones have suffered any sort of a medical malpractice issue, it is vital that you contact an attorney with the knowledge as well as the experience to get the most out of your claim. Estimates indicate that the number of people who have been hurt or even died from such errors range from anywhere between 40,000 to 4 million. Medical journals characterized such studies as “a first step toward a national epidemiological estimate of serious misdiagnosis-related harms”. Research and quality improvement initiatives should target interventions that improve clinical diagnosis for high-harm diseases in specific practice settings such as stroke in the ED, sepsis in the hospital, and lung cancer in primary care. By filing lawsuits in such cases, in a way, it puts doctors on the spot, and forces them to be more involved in their diagnostic approach when it comes to high-risk conditions.
Risk Reduction
With such staggering numbers out there, it has led to a drastic increase in the number of personal injury lawsuits, and more specifically wrongful death lawsuits. And with so much pressure being put on the medical community as a result of so many lawsuits, and legal actions overall, doctors are beginning to try and educate their patients on ways that they can avoid the likelihood of suffering an incorrect diagnosis. While the accountability still does fall on the shoulders of the doctors themselves, the best way to prevent such issues from happening to you, is to become more of an active member of your health-care team. Tell your doctors about every aspect of your medical history, your medications, your allergies. Do your own research and gather as much information as you can from the doctor. Be assertive and speak up if you have questions. And if you believe you may have been the victim of malpractice, you’ll want to consult with a skilled attorney who focuses their work in the field of medical malpractice and wrongful death, such as Ms. Anissa Morris. For more information on all manner of personal injury claims, be sure to contact Spinner Law Firm today.