Failing to Follow the Medical Standards Might Cause Major Harm to the Patient
Medical professionals are obliged to follow the duties that are imposed on them to prevent foreseeable harm. As neglecting these highly conduces to harm, it is demanded from the medical attendant’s to act and behave responsibly. Numerous actions might be the cause of a further complication. Failing to evaluate the patient’s medical history, prescribing unnecessary and wrong dosage medications and applying wrong operations can directly or indirectly harm the patient. Therefore, the victims may be eligible to pursue their rights and claim compensation to recover their loss as the physical capacity of the victim is likely to decrease significantly after the accident.
Medical attendant’s lack of commitment to duty may worsen the patient’s condition
Wrongful actions might be more destructive in the course of treatment. If the patient was prescribed wrong medications, the side effects may cause permanent damages to the victim’s brain functions. Or, if the dosage was falsely adjusted, the patient might need further treatment to recover his/her health condition. Another form of negligence in prescription errors is the lack of supervision as these medications should be used temporarily. Prescription errors and similar complications can be preventable easily by following the duty of care. As the human factor is the main cause of these complications mentioned, sufficient care will be beneficial for both the patient and the professional.
Surgical errors are another example of harm by medical professionals. The damages might appear during the surgery and be caused by the surgeons’ distraction, incompetent training or any other factor that could be prevented by a reasonable peer. Additionally, surgical complications or incorrect surgeries may be the result of a previous incorrect treatment process. If the patient’s medical condition was diagnosed falsely, it is likely to continue the treatment in an incorrect process.
Birth defects
Numerous causes may damage the baby. These can be the incorrect treatments applied before , during or after the birth. The pre-delivery process of the baby should be processed with intense care. Any medications consumed by the mother or any faulty treatment applied has the potential to damage the mother and the newborn. Whilst prescribing medications to the mother, eligibility, medical history and the ongoing drug therapies should be evaluated. As the vast majority of the medications can harm the baby, the medical attendant should only prescribe drugs if the situation is urgent and critical.
In the pre-delivery process, the mother might need a consultation to manage the pregnancy safely. False, inaccurate and unnecessary counselling has the same potential to adversely affect the pregnancy. In this case, medical attendants at duty should hesitate to advise the mother wrongly.
Natural risk factor and risk warning
Treatments generally involve risk naturally. These inherent risk factors may not be preventable even if the doctors at duty are competent, responsible and committed to their duties. Even the simplest treatment processes may involve risk inherently. In this case, the duty of care is to notify the patient and ask for his/her permission to proceed with the treatment. As the majority of individuals are not aware of the potential complications, being knowledgeable of these risks might not be possible. Additionally, the patients have the right to decline the treatment if the risks are too high for them to take.
Understanding the inherent risk factor and being capable of distinguishing a preventable risk from an unpreventable one might require an understanding of laws. For this reason, victims of medical malpractice can check a detailed personal injury claims guide to understand their entitlements.
