It shouldn’t be too much to ask for Michigan residents to want competent care from the medical professionals who treat them. Yet, far too often these medical professionals fail to live up to expectations, which put patients at serious risk of harm. Perhaps the saddest part of these situations is that medical neglect is entirely preventable. A recently released study shows just how prevalent human errors are in the medical field.

The study looked at records pertaining to more than 5,000 operations. Of those surgical procedures, 188 adverse events occurred. Of these adverse events, human error accounted for more than half. The majority of human performance errors took place during operations themselves, with postoperative errors and preoperative errors occurring with less frequency.

These human errors were specified to include execution errors, which include failure to recognize certain issues, failing to maintain attention and suffering from a lapse in memory as well as planning and problem solving errors.

Extrapolating the data, the study found that as many as 400,000 preventable adverse events occur each year on account of human error. Although experts in the field may call for changes to medical practices as a way to increase patient safety, the sad reality is that many proposed changes either don’t go far enough or aren’t enacted quickly enough to protect at-risk patients. This is why those who are harmed by human error may want to consider pursuing a medical malpractice lawsuit.

A medical malpractice lawsuit, when successful, can lead to accountability and the recovery of compensation. This can provide medical malpractice victim with the resources needed to secure the treatment they need while remaining financially stable. It can also allow them to recoup money for the physical and emotional pain and suffering they have felt as the result of preventable neglect. In other words, there’s a lot at stake in these cases, which is why it is often best for these victims to think about working with a skilled attorney when considering whether to pursue one of these cases.