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2 things that could lead to medical errors

On Behalf of | Jan 15, 2025 | Surgical Errors |

If you suffer injury at the hands of a doctor, you will likely want to know why. Why did someone with so much training get something so wrong?

It’s almost certainly not because they don’t care and usually not because they didn’t know what they were doing or had never done such a thing before. Here are two reasons why an experienced doctor might get something wrong:

1. Distraction

Hospitals can be distracting places and a doctor’s attention can be pulled in multiple directions if they are not careful to stay focused. They could face incoming messages or calls from other staff needing their expertise or advice. They could have the constant chitter-chatter of colleagues, patients and patient’s visitors in the background as well as the sound of people’s phones ringing, including their own. They may also have a host of things playing on their mind, such as whether they got that last diagnosis right or the upcoming appraisal they have in the afternoon.Switching off from all these distractions to focus on their patient may be challenging, but as doctors, it is something they must be able to do.


2. Fatigue

The fact that many doctors are stressed and burned out from long hours, irregular shift patterns and the emotional and mental demands of the job is well known. Then, you need to add in all the other factors that can leave any worker in any field tired such as a poor night’s sleep or the stresses and strains of home life.

While it is logical that doctors will get distracted and tired, that does not excuse mistakes that harm patients. Those injured by doctors may want to learn about their options for compensation.