Medical malpractice is more common in teaching hospitals at the start of residency.
Studies suggest that there may be a linkage between getting medical care in a teaching hospital and medical malpractice, and this can even become more of a possibility when it comes to medication errors.
A partnership between UCSD and UCLA produced a 2010 study showing that there seems to be a spike in errors in June and July, which coincides with the beginning of residency programs.
During the last three decades, there has been a 10 percent jump in fatal medication errors during those summer months in U.S. counties that contain teaching hospitals. The study did not find the same spike in counties without teaching hospitals, leading researchers to believe that inexperienced residents could be the cause.
As residents become more accustomed to their work, the medication error rate begins to subside in the late summer and fall months.
The same error spikes were not seen in surgical care, since there is a team of professionals in the operating room allowing for a level of redundancy in care.
Medication errors are the second leading cause of death in the U.S. after car accidents.
One of the most important things to remember when it comes to medical errors is that is you’re a victim you must speak out. A 2011 report found that an examination of 795 patients at three teaching hospitals uncovered 354 medical mistakes.
A Tucson personal injury lawyer can help if you have been the victim of medication errors in a teaching hospital or other setting. It is important that people tell their stories to prevent the same errors from happening over and over again to more patients. An experienced attorney will know how to help families seek justice if they have been the victim of these types of mistakes.
