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Medical errors and misdiagnoses are never on anyone’s mind when one is admitted to the hospital, or visits a doctor for an annual or routine exam. Yet, medical errors, sadly, happen more often than we want to realize. While sometimes a disease surfaces more predominately in later months and still before it is too late, we tend to have faith and trust that our family physician knows our history and is performing the best course of action to put us on the path to wellness. Unfortunately, there are many factors in our disfavor when it comes to the medical community and how we are treated.
Due to many issues in our economy from health care choices and options, to lack of employment or employee benefits, any number of professionals are grateful to have jobs. People no longer want to challenge the system, or make opinions known at the risk of losing a job. They tend to not call attention to medical issues that are more often than not deserving of added attention. Here are some concerns leading to medial errors or misdiagnoses:
- Unqualified or untrained workers. Often an overflow of patients or crisis situations means that hospitals must reach out to existing employees for extra hours, or seek those “part timers” who are on call and who might not be as practiced. Filtering these workers into the normal stream of operations quickly means that something must lack–quite often it is training for the appropriate area of care.
- Inattentiveness. In a recent case in England, a 17-year-old girl died when attendants failed to check her blood pressure or alert surgeons that there was something wrong in the aftermath of a routine appendix surgery.
- Lack of discipline or punishment for wrong doing. Nursing or doctor errors can be reprimanded, but often the reprimand may not have the impact that it should when someone’s health is at stake.
- Lack of challenge or motivation in the workplace. As a health care professional, some of those who work in the industry have become complacent in the routine. They fail to notice what may need attention and they lack the desire to advance, simply being content with the job at hand and not wanting to call attention to the possibility of an extra workload.
- Lack of voice. As so many workers do not want to call attention to anything for the risk of jeopardizing a job in the future, they sit by the sidelines and let others make errors without reporting any wrongdoings.
When you make yourself aware of risks and responsibilities for self-care, you will be better equipped to handle situations of concern. If you have experienced a misdiagnosis or improper diagnoses, or know someone who is a victim of improper standard of medical care, you know that dealing with several agencies is daunting and best handled in the hands of a Manhattan attorney who can help you settle your case.
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Finz & Finz, P.C. is a New York and Long Island personal injury law firm based out of Mineola, NY. It was founded in 1984 and is highly rated, with many honors and awards of excellence.
