Avoiding Medical Error - What Can You Do to Keep Yourself Safe?
We recently discussed new findings by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, a division of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services regarding medical error and injury to patients. We also provided links in that article to lists created by AHRQ for healthcare providers to use to make sure that their facilities were doing all that they could to help reduce and eliminate medical error that harms patients.
This got us wondering about how big the problem actually is. Bahe Cook Cantley & Jones PLC has helped many people harmed and injured by medical error and the negligence of medical professionals, but we were suprised to learn about the extent of the problem. AHRQ states that a "recent report by the Institute of Medicine estimates that as many as 44,000 to 98,000 people die in U.S. hospitals each year as the result of medical errors. This means that more people die from medical errors than from motor vehicle accidents, breast cancer, or AIDS." Those numbers are, in a word, astounding. Another word might be "unacceptable."
While personal injury attorneys usually are involved in tragic cases like this too late to prevent any of the damage, we want to help potential victims of medical error before they are injured or killed. Fortunately, there are resources like AHRQ's 20 Tips to Help Prevent Medical Errors. Hopefully this list can help you protect yourself from being a statistic of medical error.
Taking these precautions can be helpful in other ways. Our experience with clients, cases, and trials at Bahe Cook Cantley & Jones PLC has lead us to recognize that many times, jurors want to blame the patient for his or her own injuries. While this might seem crazy, it is true. For example, often times in what are commonly referred to as "missed diagnosis cases" the jury will hold it against the patient that they didn't seek a second opinion after getting a clean bill of health from the doctor who, for example, failed to see that cancer on the MRI! Why in the world would a patient get a second opinion if the doctor they trusted told them there was nothing wrong with them? Using this list and preparing yourself as a patient can help combat that unfair, but real, perception that jurors have.
Use this list to protect yourself and your loved ones. If it isn't enough, or if you need to talk with us about someone you know that was harmed by medical error, please visit us at www.bccjlaw.com for more answers.
