What Are the Most Common Types of Medical Negligence in a Hospital in Michigan?

Medical negligence – a failure by medical professionals to render adequate care given the circumstances – is one of the leading causes of preventable death in the United States.

Medical Negligence and Errors Can Be Deadly

In fact, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that preventable harms or medical negligence in the hospital contexts cause upwards of 400,000 American deaths annually. In 2017, the Journal of the American Medical Association published a peer-reviewed study into the rates and characteristics of paid medical malpractice claims in the country. The authors reviewed hundreds of thousands of such claims across a 22-year window to determine, among other things, the leading causes of medical negligence. Based on their research, here are the three most common types of medical errors in hospitals and other care contexts.

1. Errors in Diagnosis

Errors in diagnosis were the most commonly cited mistakes in paid claims at 31.8 percent—nearly 5 percent above the runner-up. Common examples include:

• Misdiagnosis, in which a patient is treated for the wrong condition, such as being given antacids for heart attack symptoms.
• Delayed diagnosis, in which critical treatment is postponed due to medical professionals’ failure to promptly recognize a condition like cancer.
• Failure to recognize complications, such as a doctor overlooking signs of sepsis in a patient with a known infection.
• Faulty medical testing, in which lab errors lead to incorrect treatment, such as a misread X-ray suggesting the absence of a fracture.

2. Errors in Surgery

Surgical mistakes were the second most common error, accounting for 26.9 percent of all paid claims. Common types of surgical errors include:

• Wrong-site surgery, in which a procedure is performed on the incorrect part of the body, such as operating on the left knee instead of the right.
• Retained surgical items like sponges or tools being accidentally left inside the patient’s body.
• Nerve damage due to a surgical mishap, potentially leading to long-term impairment or loss of function.
• Anesthesia errors, in which incorrect anesthesia application results in complications like insufficient pain relief or severe adverse reactions.

3. Errors in Medication and Treatment

Medication and treatment errors were the third leading cause of paid claims, accounting for 24.5 percent of the total. Examples include:

• Incorrect medication, in which a patient is given the wrong drug, leading to adverse effects or no treatment benefit.
• Overdose, in which medical professionals prescribe or administer too much medication, causing severe or potentially fatal side effects.
• Underdose, in which medical professionals provide insufficient medication, failing to effectively treat the condition and possibly allowing it to worsen.
• Drug interaction, in which failure to consider all of a patient’s medications results in harmful interactions that cause serious health complications.

Contact Us If You Need Help With a Medical Negligence Case

Have you or a loved one suffered the consequences of medical negligence in a hospital setting in Michigan? If so, you could be entitled to compensation—but getting it could prove challenging. While hospitals often employ medical technicians and nurses, doctors are typically independent contractors for whom admitting hospitals are not responsible. Determining who is to blame and who can be sued can be challenging.

That’s where Giroux Pappas Trial Attorneys come in. Our experienced medical malpractice attorneys serving Michigan understand the complexities of these cases and how to win them. Our service area includes Southfield, Ann Arbor, Detroit, Warren, Grand Rapids. We want to fight hard for maximum compensation while you rest and recover. Contact us today for a free consultation, and let’s pursue justice together. 248-531-8665