Medical Attendant Liability for Negligence in Treatment

Just as in public, medical professionals should act responsibly when it comes to the patient’s wellbeing. Accidents can occur everywhere, and surgical errors are one of them. Although the term ‘’accident’’ relates to unintentional harm, the medical attendants are still liable for the victim’s post-treatment sufferings. If surgery goes wrong, the patient’s capacity to work and earn can be damaged, the patient can sustain long, permanent and painful injuries. Due to these traumatic complications, the victim’s mental health can also be affected. Medical negligence is a situation when the practitioner unintentionally breaches his/her duty and causes harm to the patient. Under the laws, this loss can be recoverable.

Foreseeable outcomes of surgical complications shouldn’t be confused with negligence

Medical attention can sometimes be beyond others’ understanding. To clarify, the majority of the treatment procedures involve risk which is natural and sometimes unavoidable. However, medical professionals carry a lot of responsibilities and the risk warning is one of them. A patient is likely to be unaware of what risks await in the treatment. Though, sometimes even the simplest medical operations involve risk. In a similar situation, the practitioner’s duty is to warn the patient about the risk, tell them what can happen in the worst case and ask for their permission before starting the process.

Duty of care in medicine

Normally, the duty of care is the legal responsibility to prevent harm. In medical professions, the extent of the duty of care is wider. Although the aim is the same, medical professionals should act a lot more careful. Throughout the process, the duty of care exists. The beginning of a treatment process starts with the patient’s will to go to the hospital. This is also the beginning of a doctor’s duty of care. Diagnosing the patient’s condition correctly is the medical professional’s duty as misdiagnosis entirely changes the way the treatment goes. During the treatment of the patient, medical errors can occur almost in every period of the treatment. As an example, prescription errors are one of the most occurred errors in medical treatments. As prescription drugs can be lethal if used in the wrong situations, the patient can suffer major medical conditions. On the other hand, correct prescriptions should also be supported by adjusting the dosage of the medication. Many medications are known for causing serious harm to the patient’s brain, muscular system and nervous system if used incorrectly.

Surgical errors can be the cause of many severe, permanent and possibly fatal injuries

Human error is an undeniable fact in medical treatments. This can be minimized by acting responsibly in the patient’s treatment. The procedure should be applied entirely and correctly. Skipping small steps can lead to unexpected yet fatal medical conditions. As an example, before surgery, the doctors should evaluate the patient’s durability. As overweight and unhealthy people may not resist the surgery, the patient’s medical history, state of health and ongoing treatments and drug usage should be evaluated before approving the surgery. Ongoing drug usage of the patient or any other medical conditions might negatively react with the treatment process that is to be applied by the professionals. Another example is birth defects. The human factor is a known cause of many complications during the delivery of the baby. The newborns are fragile and vulnerable. For this reason, they should be treated with intense attention as even a simple pressure on the baby can lead to lifelong injuries. The same attention should also be given to the mother during and before labour. Whilst giving birth, positioning the patient can be critically important. Another fact is pregnancy management errors. The pregnant can use medications, however, the usage should be limited. Prescription errors can also occur in pregnancy.