Doctors burdened with burnout are twice as likely to make mistakes

We rely on physicians to handle our health with care and deliver us from illness. But long schedules, high stress and overworking can all lead to deadly consequences.

Over half of physicians report symptoms of burnout, which can result in serious medical errors. When the profession wears a doctor thin, they are more prone to making mistakes that will leave you hurting. If your doctor’s mix-up led to your injury, you might be looking at a potential medical malpractice claim.

Burning both ends

Burnout can be incredibly dangerous for you as a patient, and doctors who suffer from burnout are more than two times more likely to make mistakes:

• Errors in judgment: Exhaustion can easily play a role in a doctor acting incorrectly. A clouded mind might make the wrong decision when it comes to treatment, administer the wrong medication or dole out the wrong dosage. These can all lead to serious complications, and potentially a suit.
• Wrong diagnosis: Failing to accurately diagnose ailments when you should be able to reasonably expect most doctors to get it right can lead to a malpractice claim. Your physician may be at fault if they fail to order the right tests, don’t read results correctly or miss obvious links between symptoms.
• Technical errors: Surgical operations require a great deal of skill from everyone involved, but a doctor that is suffering from burnout may not be at their best. When the symptoms are weighing your doctor down, they may create incisions at the wrong location, leave surgical tools inside the operating site or even operate on the wrong part of your body.

Weary caretakers can leave patients wanting, but connecting the dots can be difficult. Make sure you know how burnout might lead to your medical malpractice claim, and you could get the help you deserve.