A surgical error is a mistake that’s caused when a doctor’s medical standard of care falls below acceptable levels. If a patient is harmed by the error, then malpractice has occurred and might be compensated in a Maryland court.
The effects of surgeon fatigue
A number of factors contribute to the prevalence of surgeon fatigue. The biggest factor is overexertion that occurs to surgeons who work overtime. They may work 12-hour days with few breaks in between. Other doctors have regular work hours but excessive workloads where they perform too many tasks in a short period of time. In both types of situations, the doctors are overexerted and become tired by the end of a shift. This fatigue will reduce the quality of their work and contribute to surgical errors.
Medical malpractice lawsuits
Medical malpractice cases are commonly filed because of surgical errors. If the error is caused by fatigue or any problem that could have been prevented, the injured patient can sue the medical provider. The surgeon must adhere to an acceptable medical standard of care, which is not possible if he or she is tired and overworked. If an error is proven to have occurred, the medical professional might be found liable for medical malpractice.
Compensatory efforts for surgical errors
Some surgeons have performed the same procedures over and over again and become too confident in their abilities. This is especially true if they take on excessive workloads and realize they cannot handle the demands later on. Fatigue is not a good excuse to explain medical malpractice and can be used as a form of negligence in a personal injury lawsuit.