Strong Justice For Serious Disease

Medical malpractice and the dirty truth about drug addiction

On Behalf of | Apr 24, 2014 | Medical Malpractice

As Pennsylvania readers already know, medical malpractice has serious consequences, which often include a patient’s permanent loss of health and quality of life. Even if one were to set the politics of malpractice aside, there are still certain instances when everyone can agree that the egregious misconduct of members of the medical community need to be addressed and addressed aggressively. Pittsburgh readers might find the following information on medical malpractice and the American prescription drug epidemic interesting.

Medical malpractice can take many forms, from a simple error in communication that results in a patient receiving the wrong medication to a failure in diagnosis that leaves a patient vulnerable to the rapid progression of a disease such as cancer. While these are both examples of serious and preventable acts of medical negligence, another involves patients injured by medical professionals performing their job duties while under the influence of dangerous prescription drugs.

According to a recent article, there are around 100,000 healthcare professionals in the U.S. who use and abuse prescription drugs like Oxycodone and Fentanyl. Sadly, despite the dangers of these drugs and their addictive potential, many healthcare professionals not only have easy access, but also are knowledgeable about how to hide symptoms, resulting in doctors’ being able to escape detection and remain in the operating room.

While poor oversight makes it hard to assess the full scope of the problem and its effect on patients, the report reviewed state and federal records and were able to identify hundreds of recent cases where doctors and other medical professionals were disciplined either for illegally diverting drugs or for acts of medical malpractice related to drug abuse. If someone believes that they were injured due to a serious medical mistake, it may be advisable for that person to contact a Pennsylvania medical malpractice attorney.

Source: KTVB, “Doctors, medical staff on drugs put patients at risk,” Peter Eisler, April 16, 2014

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