Unfortunately, medical malpractice has become an increasingly common occurrence in Florida and across the United States. Those individuals who suffer injuries as a result of medical malpractice may be able to recover compensation by filing a lawsuit.
Some of the most common types of medical malpractice include:
- Failure to diagnose
- Misdiagnosis
- Surgical mistakes
- Medication errors
Physicians are responsible for approaching every patient with a high safety standard, using their education and experience to make the best possible choice. A new study from the journal of the American Medical Informatics Association shares that electronic detection tools can help providers minimize one of the biggest problems in medical malpractice today.
One of the biggest issues with health records in the past was that each doctor’s office handled medical records in a different way. Handwriting could be difficult to read and things could easily get confused. The paper system also did not have a way to give providers extra protection from prescribing medications that could trigger problems with other prescriptions being used by the patient.
There was a lot of room for error in terms of medication, and this is part of the reason why medication errors became a leading cause of injuries and deaths for patients across the United States. With the advent of electronic health records, though, there is great room for improvement.
Medication Errors
New electronic detection tools can help to improve patient’s safety overall and give doctors a better chance of avoiding costly medical malpractice lawsuits. The researchers came from Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center and note that electronic detection programs have been successful in the past.
However, the advent of electronic health records brings a whole new range of opportunities. Mistakes can and do still happen with electronic health records, but some inventors and companies are looking for ways to leverage technology to cut down on dangerous and deadly drug mistakes.
Electronic health records in this particular case could be used to generate an algorithm that would detect overdoses and potentially adverse drug events, in addition to minimizing the number of medication alerts. Too many alerts and alarms is a major problem for physicians today.
The new electronic algorithm identifies clinically relevant overdoses of a handful of antibiotics. These modifications could lead to improvements in response to decision support alerts and led to decreased alert burden. These alerts would notify a healthcare provider when he or she has entered information that may cause problems for a potential patient.
With the rise of electronic health record keeping and a broad range of technologies used to track patient’s safety data, this is a great opportunity to minimize the number of medication error malpractice incidents that happen across Florida and the rest of the United States.
Unfortunately, it is frequently far too late once an individual identifies that they have been a victim of a medication error. Being prescribed a medication that can do the patient more harm than good, whether it is due to the improper medication being given or an inappropriate dosage, could lead to negative side effects and even life threatening injuries or fatalities.
Why Monitoring Makes a Difference
Monitoring all medication more clearly in an electronic system could help to eliminate or reduce the number of medication error medical malpractice suits every single year.
If you have already been injured in a situation in which a doctor made a medication error that caused you to suffer injuries, you may be entitled to receive compensation in a Florida medical malpractice lawsuit.
Consulting with an experienced medical malpractice attorney is strongly recommended as these cases can be complex. Doctors and hospitals frequently have experienced defense firms at the ready to manage malpractice claims and may attempt to offer you a low ball settlement offer in order to clear the legal claim off the books.
Contact An Expert Jacksonville Medical Malpractice Lawyer Today
It is better to consult with an experienced Florida medical malpractice attorney to ensure that your rights are represented fully and that any settlement offers are truly fair and consider the full scope of your potential injuries.
If you have questions about medical malpractice claims regarding medication errors, consult with an experienced Florida medical malpractice attorney today.
Related Post:
- Everything You Need to Know about Medical Malpractice Law
- When is a Hospital Liable in a Medical Malpractice Case?
