Medical malpractice is essentially negligence that happens either before, during, or after a procedure, an incorrect or delayed diagnosis, or any kind of systematic breakdown that ultimately leads to a patient’s injury or even death.
It is suggested that more than 250,000 Americans die each year due to medical errors that could have been avoided, which is an astounding number. These errors are actually third on the list when it comes to the top three leading causes of death in America, with only cancer and heart disease being higher.
That being said, it has also been noted that only a fraction of these malpractices are actually reported. It is thought that women in particular are at a higher risk of being victims of medical malpractice and this piece is going to take a look at some of the issues related to this claim.
Gender Bias in Healthcare
As much as we would like to believe that there is no gender bias in healthcare, unfortunately, women seem to end up much worse off than men; and there is even more bias against those who are genderless or gender fluid. But why? Well, it was not too long ago where women were diagnosed as being hysterical for just having emotions, so it is not too hard to believe that there has been somewhat of a slow incline of progression if that was the base from which we started.
These days, women being misdiagnosed is nothing short of an epidemic that also goes hand in hand with medical malpractice. Some examples include the following:
- Women are 30% more likely to be overlooked following a stroke
- Women are 50% more likely to be misdiagnosed following a heart attack
- Female sex-specific issues such as endometriosis and fibroids often take a whopping 10 years or more to be accurately diagnosed
And this is just the tip of the iceberg.
Female-Sex-Specific Medical Issues and Malpractice
Pregnancy, labor, and birth all have alarming rates of reported medical errors, and in 2018 the Commonwealth Fund noted that among 11 high-income countries, America took the title for women having the greatest risk of dying from pregnancy complications. Not to mention the number of birth injuries and other complications that also occur—putting babies at risk of suffering from a number of physical and neurological problems. For more information on the help that is available for dealing with these issues, read this article on Minneapolis medical malpractice lawyers.
The Prescription of Unsafe Medications and Devices
Due to the lucrative opportunities that women’s health problems present to businesses, there is often a rush to create health products; after all, women’s health problems are a billion-dollar industry. However, worryingly, the urgency in which products and medications are created often results in their safety and effectiveness being overlooked.
Contraceptive medications and devices have a lot to answer for—with lawsuits being made against the contraceptive ring known as the “NuvaRing,” along with two brands of the contraceptive pill—Yazmin and Yaz—both of which have caused significant injury and death rates following their use.
It is clear that we still have a long way to go in the pursuit of equality for women in healthcare, and in the meantime, it is best to keep clued up as much as possible on your rights.
