Selecting an attorney for legal cases is a very important decision. Please enter your information below to receive a Free Consultation from an attorney in your area:
Medical
Malpractice News
Consumers Unlikely To Engage In Protective Behaviors To Prevent Medical Errors
About 42 percent of the U.S. public says either they or a family member has experienced a medical error. Although the public has been provided with actions they can take to protect themselves against medical errors, consumers are unlikely to engage in very many of them, according to a study supported by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (HS11500). Consumers with more self-efficacy (confidence in their ability to prevent medical errors), however, indicate that they would be more likely to take preventive action.
Researchers asked 195 consumers (predominantly white with an average age of 42) in Oregon how serious the problem of patient safety was, how effective recommended actions in protecting against errors were, and how likely they were to engage in the recommended actions. Overall, 27 percent of consumers thought that patient safety was not a serious problem, while only 23 percent thought that medical errors were not a serious problem, even though both refer to the same topic.
Consumers viewed most of the recommended actions as highly effective, especially long-standing recommendations such as choosing a surgeon based on surgical experience and making sure the doctors know about prescription drugs the patient is taking. Newer recommendations were perceived as less effective, such as choosing a hospital that has a computer system for tracking each patient's medications. Consumers were less likely to take actions that required them to question medical professionals about their judgment, for example, having the surgeon mark where the surgery will be, even though they thought this questioning might help protect them from harm.
Patients die in hospitals and in care from negligence
Between 44,000 and 98,000 people die in hospitals annually each year due to preventable medical errors, the Institute of Medicine found.
Newsroom
News about Medical Malpractice cases in Indiana and nationwide:
Definition:
The defendant must owe a legal duty to the victim, the defendant breached that duty, the breach was the cause of an injury to the victim, there must be an injury. In most cases, there must be a physical or financial injury to the victim, but sometimes emotional distress, embarrassment, or dignitary harms are adequate for recovery.
Economic damages
Definition:
Funds to compensate a plaintiff for the monetary costs of an injury, such as medical bills or loss of income.
Res ipsa loquitur
Definition:
The use of res ipsa loquitur should be prohibited in medical malpractice cases because under this doctrine the mere fact that the injury occurs means that the defendant was negligent, although it is not all the time.
Legal Disclaimers All attorney listings are a paid attorney advertisement, and do not in any way constitute a referral or endorsement by an approved or authorized lawyer referral service. The information provided on Indiana Medical Malpractice.com is not intended to be legal advice, but merely conveys
general information related to legal issues commonly encountered. Your access
to and use of this website is subject to additional Terms
and Conditions.
Local Professional? Generate new business today
Call 866-227-9356 or contact a sales rep
Did You Know?