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Medication errors in Pennsylvania can be fatal

On Behalf of | Aug 5, 2021 | Medical Malpractice

Did you know that medical errors are the third leading cause of death in the U.S.? This appears to be ironic because we depend on hospitals and other medical facilities to be alive or relieved of the ailments we are suffering from. That said, here are the common medical errors you should watch out for in Pennsylvania and what you can do about them.

Common medical errors in Pennsylvania

  • Using bad medical devices – A medical device that a doctor may be using on you can malfunction or become defective, causing fatal harm to your body. In this instance, your doctor or the nurse won’t take the blame for that error, rather the manufacturer of that tool.
  • Infections – You can contract an infection when visiting a medical facility or receiving another form of treatment. The common nosocomial infections that people acquire in hospitals include pneumonia, meningitis, gastroenteritis, surgical site infections, and urinary tract infections.
  • Medication errors – The most common incident of this type of medical malpractice is prescribing the wrong dose or administering drugs that interact harmfully in the body. Sometimes, a doctor or a caregiver may not know the type of drug you took before visiting the hospital or a substance you are allergic to. So, while they may be giving you medication to help you, they could be hurting you more instead.
  • Delayed diagnosis – It is critical that you receive the help that you need at a reasonable time. This is because even if the doctor is right about what’s affecting you, taking too much time to diagnose and consequently help you can lead to irreversible harm.
  • Misdiagnosis – The doctor can diagnose you on time, but they can make the mistake of not knowing exactly what’s ailing you. The danger about misdiagnosis is that any following form of treatment you will receive will be wrong and can lead to fatal consequences.

What can you do?

Pennsylvania law allows you to sue a doctor or a medical institution for their medical malpractice. But first, you will have to prove that what they did or didn’t do led to the current medically-related problems you are facing.

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