If it ever feels like every industry has a worker shortage, remember that the medical industry is no different. There is certainly a demand for medical professionals, such as doctors and nurses. There’s also demand for the support staff.
What this means is that all of the individuals working in any given medical center may feel that they’re being overworked. For example, one study showed that roughly two out of three doctors claimed they were being overworked and that the problem is just getting worse with time. The majority of them, at 55%, even said they had thought about quitting.
In other words, this is a very serious issue facing the healthcare industry. Doctors and nurses have far too much to do, they don’t have the time to do it and they often feel like they are fatigued while working.
When mistakes happen
A fatigued doctor who is stressed out by being overworked or scheduled for multiple shifts in a row is more likely to make mistakes. The doctor might overlook a key fact. They might confuse different records for patients with similar conditions. They could forget critical steps that, in a much more alert mood, they never would have forgotten.
If something like this does happen to you, it can cause you to have highly detrimental ramifications from the medical procedure. You could suffer an injury, you could have complications that are going to change your life or the mistake that the doctor makes could even prove to be fatal.
In a situation like that, you or your family members need to know about all the legal options you have. You deserve a certain level of care and there are steps you can take when that level is not met.
