Just like adults, children can suffer harm as a result of medical errors. According to some research, pediatric medical mistakes might actually occur at a higher rate than those among adult patients in some circumstances. Indeed, according to a report from the American Association of Pediatrics (AAP), pediatric medical errors can be more difficult to manage because they “differ in several ways front the errors and harms associated with adults,” yet it is critical to understand how pediatric medical mistakes happen so that parents and caregivers can understand options for seeking compensation and holding health care providers accountable.
While medication errors are the most common mistakes causing harm among pediatric patients, any form of medical negligence can cause harm to a child. If you believe your child suffered a serious injury as a result of medical negligence, it is important to get in touch with one of our experienced Santa Fe medical malpractice attorneys to find out more about your options for filing a claim.
Understanding Medical Errors and Child Injuries
The AAP emphasizes that “children are at greater risk of medication errors than are adults because of childhood development, demographics, dependency on parents and other care providers, and the different epidemiology of medical conditions.” Indeed, according to Frontiers in Medicine, approximately 7.5 million avoidable medication mistakes affect pediatric patients each year in the U.S. alone, and certain studies suggest that more than 30 percent of those errors result in patient harm or death. Accordingly, it is particularly important to be aware of the risks of medication mistakes and to understand how they happen. Parents and caregivers should pay particular attention when pediatricians and other health care providers prescribe medications to their children, when picking up medications from the pharmacy, and when administering medications to their children.
What causes so many medication errors among child patients? According to the AAP, the following are some of the issues that often result in child patients experiencing harm from medical mistakes:
- Problems with electronic health records, particularly since EHRs were designed with adult patients in mind;
- Errors arising out of misunderstood patient characteristics, usually differences between the child’s age and weight (when it comes to “weight-based medication dosing”); and
- Child patient’s inability to play a role in their own health care and error prevention.
Types of Medical Mistakes Commonly Affecting Children
In addition to medication errors, the AAP identifies many common types of errors that affect children in clinical settings. The following are types of medical errors that can lead to pediatric patient injuries:
- Diagnostic errors, including misdiagnosis or delayed diagnosis;
- Medication mistakes that occur in prescribing, dispensing, and administering drugs to child patients;
- Surgical mistakes, including “never events” like wrong-site operations or leaving a foreign object inside the pediatric patient; and
- Anesthesia errors, including incorrect dosage of anesthesia based on the child’s weight and size.
Contact a New Mexico Medical Malpractice Attorney
Do you have questions about pediatric medical errors or about pediatric medication mistakes, more specifically? One of our experienced Santa Fe medical malpractice lawyers can evaluate your child’s case today and discuss your options for filing a claim. Contact Slate Stern Law for more information.