Every day, men and women become victims of medical errors in medical institutions. For several years, we have seen an increase in the number of medical errors in hospitals, and this situation is at the center of all discussions in Ireland. That is why you may need a medical negligence solicitor Dublin, because we live in a time when it becomes necessary to question the relationship based on the medical practice between doctors and patients.
If, in principle, in the vast majority of cases, assistance goes without problems, then it is clear that sometimes the situation gets out of control and the lives of victims can change forever. So you better know how to make a medical negligence claim if you or your loved ones find themselves in a difficult situation.
Should you always trust doctors?
Patients who come to the hospital for treatment are confident they will get rid of their pathology or suffering. To this end, they systematically believe that the doctors who care for them are competent, professional, and especially knowledgeable in their field.
Under what circumstances do we consider ourselves a victim of medical error?
To answer this question, it is necessary to define the concept of medical error, which can be understood as a set of adverse events associated with the provision of medical care. Specifically, this is an event or context related to the provision of care that could cause or lead to harm to the patient and which we do not want to repeat.
In principle, a medical error can be made when a patient enters a hospital or clinic with a mild infection and experiences a deterioration in his disease or condition after leaving the institution. That is, the patient seeks advice about simple or significant harm related to his condition and then later discovers that he has suffered even more serious harm.
In addition, accounting for medical errors remains very difficult, since de facto medicine is not a completely accurate science, about which it is safe to say that a doctor or a medical professional will not cheat.
Medical solidarity
Within the framework of this continuity, it should also be said that in the medical environment, there is great solidarity between doctors and the medical profession as a whole, as well as between medical professionals. This forces them to hide medical errors, and most often in a cunning way.
Specific examples:
The motto of any doctor caring for a sick person is, first of all, not harm. This is a well-known principle. A doctor making a medical mistake falls into the opposite of what can be expected of him. Medical error automatically and irreversibly leads to a breakdown of trust between a doctor and his patient.
For example, medical negligence is::
- leaving tools (scissors, pliers, etc.) in the body of the patient during the intervention;
- an operation performed on the wrong side;
- an error in treatment or diagnosis;
- incorrect doses of dangerous drugs and so on.
Given this observation, it would be naive to think that doctors are freed from all guilt in such a situation. In Dublin, according to statistics, several hundred sick people or patients become victims of medical errors. However, we must recognize that medical professionals suppress most of them, pushing victims to participate in a real battle to uncover the truth.
In addition, medical errors can also be caused by a lack of organization in the institution and not necessarily a problem of skills or knowledge.
The difference between medical error and therapeutic risk
Specifically, the vast majority of medical errors occur during surgical procedures. This is the main cause of medical accidents caused by mistakes of the medical team or the surgeon. Next come: invasive procedures (surgeries, endoscopy, etc.) and, medical supplies (medicines), nosocomial infections.
As for the dangers, they are more likely to occur in university hospitals due to common and complex practices. They may be related to poor organization, lack of communication, lack of control, unsuitable technical platform, etc.
Danger can be defined as the occurrence or realization of an accidental risk associated with a medical procedure and, therefore, beyond control in the absence of the practitioner’s fault. A patient who is a victim of a therapeutic risk bears the full brunt of the risk of a medical procedure, while the medical professional has not made any mistake that could entail liability. A hazard is also defined as any event whose consequences result from prevention, diagnosis, or care actions.
Conclusion
Whether you have encountered medical negligence or not, it is important to understand that even though you will not protect yourself in any way in medical terms, you can achieve justice through jurisprudence. Whether you try to choose the best doctor or visit the first one you come across, it doesn’t matter because there is always a place for risk.