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Medical Malpractice: Call it what you will...

By Megan Roth

Yesterday's article proved slightly controversial (to say the least); I introduced the controversial topic of medical malpractice and presented several statistics (linked to their source) concerning the touchy subject.

The issue of medical malpractice may infuriate some, but the fact that it occurs exists. And to be honest, it not only exists – it's prevalent (medical errors remain a leading cause of death and injury at hospitals across the country). According to the Institute of Medicine, an estimated 98,000 hospital patients are killed every year as a direct result of medical malpractice (note: they are killed, not necessarily murdered (for clarification, in medical terms, 'killed' means they die as the direct result of an action whereas 'murder' is the intentional killing of another (as proved in court)).

Granted, these 'killed' patients (that sounds awful, doesn't it?!) don't necessarily breathe their last breath on the operating table. Some may die during the surgery while others may not die until weeks – even months – later.

And such deaths can result from any given surgery and of a wide variety of actions, such as use of unsanitary surgical utensils, incorrect incision, organ puncture/perforation, surgery on the wrong organ/wrong site/wrong side, delayed surgery and prolonged surgery.

It's easy to understand how such injuries happen (as there are thousands of patients dealt with on a daily basis, charts are passed amongst floor nurses and staff members like hot potatoes, and often times staff members are running on few (or zero) hours of sleep); but just because they're understandable doesn't mean such errors are excusable (in fact, far from it).

When it comes to procedures that have the potential to drastically change one's life, all actions should be verified, re-verified and verified again. There's no excuse for a doctor to operate on the wrong knee, let alone the wrong patient.

When such an incident occurs, someone must be held responsible. I understand doctors are tired – they're people, too, and they're allowed to mistakes. I agree, one hundred percent. Just not when it comes to other people's lives. When it comes to the operating room, there is no excuse.

Here, real people aren't playing doctor, they are doctor – and that gives them a lot of power. With power comes responsibility. In the event that a doctor (or other staff member) acts negligently, he/she must step up and take the responsibility for which they signed on.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Megan Roth

Full post as published by Des Moines Personal Injury Lawyer on April 09, 2009 (boomark / email).