The risk of medical errors is a concern for a majority of patients in the United States. According to a Wolters Kluwer Health survey conducted in 2012, 73 percent of patients expressed concern about potential medical errors. Nearly 30 percent of those surveyed reported either they or a family member had been a victim of a medical mistake.
Common causes of negligent medical care include:
- Miscommunication among hospital staff;
- Doctors, nurses and other medical personnel being in a hurry;
- Staff fatigue; and
- Staffing shortages at hospital.
People seeking medical care should feel confidence in doctors and hospitals and their capabilities to provide care in the patient’s best interest. This occurrence of medical misconduct is not acceptable and it is causing Americans to delay necessary medical procedures. The survey lists almost one in five people rescheduling a procedure to avoid the weekend or end of the week, so that the doctor may be better rested.
Eighty-four percent of patients in America try to reduce the likelihood of medical error by performing research on their own after receiving a doctor’s diagnosis or treatment plan, or by seeking a second opinion. With more than one in five people receiving a misdiagnosis by their doctor, it comes as no surprise that patients are very concerned about medical error.
Each patient has a right to reasonable care from their medical providers. When medical malpractice occurs, a person’s life is at stake. Our law firm represents victims and fights for their right to compensation when their life has been affected as a result of medical negligence.
If you or a loved one have been unjustly harmed due to medical error in Illinois, contact an experienced Chicago medical malpractice attorney. Call us for a free case evaluation.
