Whether due to human error, or a systemic issue, medical record errors can have severe consequences for everyone involved. These avoidable mistakes can lead to emotional, financial, and psychological stress to the patient, their loved ones, the healthcare providers, and the organization. To help you understand more, here are some of the potential consequences of medical record errors.
The Patients
Errors in medical records can directly affect patients, especially when it comes to medication. The results could be unnoticeable or severe and in rare cases, it could end up being fatal. Medical record errors could cause a new medical condition in the future. This could be temporary or permanent and can include rashes, skin disfigurement, or rashes. More about this can be found on the americanretrieval.com website.
Their Loved Ones
Watching a loved one suffer, or losing them completely, is devastating. As well as affecting patients directly, medical record errors can have serious consequences for their loved ones. Although it is uncommon, when medical records are incorrect or there are medication errors on file, then it could lead to an individual losing family, friends, or relatives. When grieving people find out this outcome could have been prevented, it will make the situation harder and can be used when taking legal action.
Healthcare Providers
If a doctor or nurse is accused of making mistakes, they will suffer from self-doubt, shame, and guilt. Depending on the severity of the outcome, their job could also be at risk. Some healthcare providers struggle to live with their slipups and have even been known to take their lives. Patients or loved ones who have suffered at the hands of medical negligence have the option to pursue a personal injury lawsuit, which can have a negative effect on the healthcare worker’s future and present career.
Hospital
Hospitals are also at risk of being filed for personal injury lawsuits. They could face a large legal counsel and even settlement costs if a healthcare provider who is employed there has made an error that has caused severe consequences. The staff involved in the error would be less productive, investigated and the cost of prolonged unplanned treatment and hospitalization of the treatment will increase. As well as being expensive, this process could be time-consuming. Their reputation will also be affected.
Potential Strategies
There are more consequences that we haven’t discussed today but there are some ways these faults can be avoided. Strategies that could be implemented include better management and a ‘no-blame’ attitude in the workplace. Developing a culture of robust error reporting and safety is essential for pointing out errors and management should be responsible for this. The right workplace attitude will make healthcare workers feel more secure about coming forward and dealing with a medical mistake.
The potential consequences of medical record errors can be devastating. This situation will be stressful and distressing for both parties. Everyone involved in one of these situations should seek professional legal advice and support.