Malpractice Hot Topics

Negligence

Medical negligence refers to the failure of a physician or other medical personnel to meet the standards of conduct for duties relating to the medical profession. The standards of conduct expected for duties relating to the medical field are based on what a reasonable person with the requisite knowledge and skills would or would not do. A doctor who prescribes the wrong medication may be negligent because the knowledge needed to give the correct prescription is specific to his field and known by any reasonable professional in that field.

Hospital Mistakes

Hospital mistakes can occur due to medical negligence on the part of a doctor, nurse, or other health care professional who works in a hospital. Common hospital mistakes that can lead to injury include:

• Incorrect prescriptions - this includes pharmacist mistakes, improper dosages, administering errors on the part of the nurse, and physician error such as prescribing the wrong medication.
• Surgical mistakes - this includes wrong-site surgery, wrong surgical procedure, wrong patient surgery (performing surgery on the wrong patient), and surgical instruments left in the patient's body.
• Obstetrical mistakes - this includes misreading of the fetal distress monitor, failure to diagnose fetal distress, and failure to treat complications such as jaundice.