If you’re one of many people in New York who had surgery this year, you might have been a little nervous before your procedure took place. Perhaps you were able to talk to your surgeon for a while beforehand to alleviate your fears. Although a bit stressful, most surgeries ultimately help improve your health; so, all in all, many patients say it’s worth it. However, if you wound up in worse condition after surgery than before, you might not agree.
Thousands of people in this state and throughout the nation suffer injury because of surgical errors every year. It can feel like a betrayal when you’ve entrusted your care to the hands of a supposedly skilled professional who then provides substandard medical care that causes you to suffer even more.
Medical mistakes most often reported
One of the most frequently reported mistakes surgeons make is actually operating on the wrong patients! Can you imagine the horror of undergoing surgery only to later learn your surgeon performed an operation intended for another patient? Other common medical errors include the following:
- Foreign objects: You could experience extreme pain and serious infection can set in when doctors leave surgical items inside patients’ bodies by mistake.
- Fraudulent credentials: As shocking as it sounds, sometimes people merely pretend to be doctors and cause injury to patients when the fraudulent care they provide causes injury or illness.
- Failure to treat: It’s not a secret that it sometimes takes a while to get through triage in a hospital emergency room; however, many patients have suffered serious illness (or death) when left waiting without care in emergency departments.
- Wrong site surgery: Miscommunication, clerical errors or other medical oversights often lead to surgeons performing correct operations on wrong body parts.
Inherent risks associated with all forms of medical procedures exist; yet, it’s your right to assume that those providing your medical care will act in accordance with the highest accepted standards of care. When substandard care causes a decline in your health, one of your main concerns (beyond physical recovery) may be how to hold those responsible accountable for their actions.
Many medical injuries are entirely preventable if not for the negligence of doctors, nurses or other staff members. It’s understandable that feelings of anger and frustration may set in as you try to recover from injuries that needn’t have happened in the first place. New York law protects people in your situation by allowing them to seek monetary judgments against any and all parties deemed liable for damages. An experienced personal injury attorney can guide you through the medical malpractice process.