AN ALARMING AMOUNT OF DEATHS IN CANADA ARE DUE TO MEDICAL MISTAKES.
Roughly 28,000 Canadians die due to medical mistakes every year, ranking after heart disease and cancer. As for injuries, tens of thousands more occur, resulting from medical errors. In a recent article, Guelph Today spoke to Catherine Shearer, a personal injury lawyer at McKenzie Lake Lawyers, about these alarming statistics.
Some of the most common medical mistakes include:
- Surgical and anesthesia errors
- Inadequate monitoring post-procedure
- Birth injuries/trauma
A delayed diagnosis, misdiagnosis, and failure to diagnose are also some common, serious medical errors. According to Shearer, if an ER is busy and a patient complains of common symptoms, something might be missed, leading to a serious injury or fatality.
In one of Shearer’s cases, the standard of care was critically important for a patient who suffered a heart attack and waited 12 hours to see a doctor, only to be admitted and moved to an area with inadequate medical equipment. She stayed in the hospital for a week without ever having a proper hospital room, despite being at high risk for another heart attack.
The family of the woman was told that she should have an angiogram done within a week’s time. The doctor was mistaken in believing that the patient had additional days to spare. Had the procedure not been done within the week and the patient suffered serious injuries, or even death, Shearer believes this would be a cause of action. The care would fall below the required standard of care, indicating the medical personnel acted negligently.
The next day, the angiogram was booked, but ultimately forgotten about. The patient was still waiting after 6 weeks. Once the procedure was finished, the patient was unable to schedule an appointment with a cardiologist until much later. After asking a friend for a favor to see a specialist sooner, the cardiologist discovered that the patient had not been on the proper medication needed to prevent a heart attack from occurring again or to prevent heart damage.
Medication errors are yet another common mistake that can result in serious consequences. Whether it be a doctor or a pharmacist prescribing the medication, if continuing care doesn’t occur and another medical professional prescribes another drug, the patient may end up taking a cocktail of prescriptions that seriously harms them.
MedMalDoctors has an extensive list of specialists and expert witnesses to serve lawyers in their Medical Malpractice cases.
MedMalDoctors provides expert evidence-based opinions on Causation and Standard of Care regarding potential Medical Malpractice. To learn more about how MedMalDoctors can assist you in your next Medical Malpractice case, call us at 1.800.590.9631 or send an email to marketing@medmaldoctors.ca.
From Guelph Today