The word "medical error" conjures up images of patients being administered excessive dosages of the wrong drug, or being operated on the wrong body part. However, a major proportion of medical errors every year involve far more mundane, but deadly errors. For instance, the simple act of monitoring a patient's diet while in the hospital is rife with potential for error.
A recent study by the Pennsylvania by Patient Safety Authority conducted in 2009 and 2014 identified as many as 255 dietary errors in hospitals. Out of these eight were serious enough to cause patient death.
The most common dietary errors including serving patients food that was not prescribed for them, which accounted for 50 of the cases, and serving patients food meant for other patients which accounted for 43 of the cases. However, the most frequent medical error was serving patients foods that they were allergic to, and these kinds of errors accounted for approximately 181 of the cases. The eight patient deaths were all linked to patients being served food that they were allergic to. In 11 cases, patients were served food when they were not meant to receive oral nutrition.
If you have suffered an injury as a result of a medical error in the hospital, speak to a medical malpractice lawyer in Los Angeles, and identify all of your legal options for compensation. You may be eligible for damages that include medical expenses. Schedule a consultation with a medical malpractice lawyer in Los Angeles.