Errors in communication can lead to claims of medical malpractice for patients who have suffered an additional injury or illness. These errors can happen between medical providers or between a medical provider and the patient in any medical setting. Medical malpractice can occur in a hospital or a doctor’s office. Let’s explore the errors in communication that often happen in the medical world in today’s post.
There are a variety of ways errors in communication occur in the medical world and they include the following:
- Failure to provide the patient with enough informed consent
- Failure to discuss the side effects of medication
- Failure to read the patient’s medical records
- Failure to share medical records with another medical provider
- Failure of a hospital’s electronic record-keeping system
- Failure to review or share lab results with specialists
Errors in communication can be deadly. For example, if a nurse fails to notify a doctor of your allergies to certain medications, you could wind up being prescribed the wrong medication. Another fatal example could be a doctor failing to inform a nurse that he or she is to monitor you for a specified period and you suffer a medical emergency.
Errors in communication also occur when patients are being transferred. Whether this involves transferring a patient to a new doctor, a new floor of a hospital or to a new facility; an error in communication can lead to a serious injury, illness or even death.
When an error in communication occurs you could wind up in a worse situation than when you first sought care from a doctor. Document everything that has been discussed about your condition and how you’ve been treated so you can file a medical malpractice claim.