Several deaths from medical errors in the past year

Media report: Five people died from medical errors
An increase in medical treatment errors has been reported in recent years. One reason for this may be the constant overload of many doctors. The effects can be severe and can even lead to deadly complications. In Thuringia alone, five people died last year due to medical errors.

Five people died from medical errors
Medical treatment errors can have serious consequences for those affected, ranging to lethal complications. Thus, only a few months ago a patient in Lower Saxony was reported, who died because of wrong blood preserves. Even a routine surgery, such as abdominal surgery, can be fatal if a mistake is made. According to a media report, in 2015 alone in Thuringia five people died from medical errors.

Medical errors can in the worst case result in the death of the patient. (Image: SENTELLO / fotolia.com)

Treatment error established beyond doubt
The MDR reported, citing the State Medical Association, that these cases had been established beyond doubt by the arbitration board in Hanover for questions of the liability of physicians for treatment errors. According to a message from the dpa news agency, not all diagnostic options were exhausted in four deaths. According to the information, in spite of the advanced age of a female patient and the threat of "serious side-effects", chemotherapy had been started in a cancer case. According to dpa, the State Medical Association on Saturday initially not be reached.

Entitlement to free appraisals
According to the report, patients or relatives responded to the Conciliation Body in 312 cases last year. It is said that it was not as many as in the past ten years. Patients have several options for free harness when suspected treatment errors. One possibility is to contact the conciliation office in Hanover, which is responsible for patients from ten federal states. According to the report, every fifth complaint (67 cases) was acknowledged as a treatment error. Compared to the previous year, this represents an increase of almost 37 percentage points. According to the survey, most mistakes happen in trauma surgery and orthopedics. (Ad)