Halifax Medical Malpractice Lawyer Blog

How often does medical malpractice happen in Canada?

The short answer is that the law suits that are filed in court are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to medical malpractice claims in Canada.

Medical malpractice claims in Canada tend to get a lot of attention in the media. Everyone is concerned about the quality of health care that they receive, and claims that raise concerns about problems with medical care naturally get reported in the newspapers or on television.

Most Malpractice Victims Don't File Law Suits

But the fact is that most victims of medical malpractice never file a law suit.

More Than Half of Medical Mistakes "Preventable"

A famous research study conducted by Harvard Medical School determined that more than half of all injuries caused by medical management (in other words, not caused by the patient’s initial injury or disease) were preventable, and another quarter of those incidents were caused by negligence.

24,000 Canadians Die Every Year

In May 2004 the Canadian Medical Association published: "The Canadian Adverse Events Study: the incidence of adverse events in hospital patients in Canada". The report confirmed findings of similar studies in the United States, Australia, the United Kingdom, Denmark and New Zealand.

The Canadian study concluded:

• As many as 24,000 patients die each year due to “adverse events” (code words for a bad result).

• 87,500 patients admitted annually to Canadian acute care hospitals experience an adverse event.

• 1 in 13 adult patients admitted to a Canadian hospital encounter an adverse event.

• 1 in 19 adults will potentially be given the wrong medication or wrong medication dosage.

• 37% of adverse events are “highly” preventable.

• 24% of preventable adverse events are related to medication error.

A report by the Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI) indicated that nearly one quarter of Canadian adults (5.2 million people) reported that they, or a member of their family, had experienced a “preventable adverse event” (medical error).

Only a Few Law Suits Filed Each Year

According to the annual report of the Canadian Medical Protective Association (the CMPA), the group that defends most lawsuits filed against doctors in Canada, about a 1000 legal actions are commenced against doctors in Canada each year.

But the Canadian Medical Association says that 24,000 people die each year due to medical errors and more than 87,000 patients in Canada experience an adverse event.

Why Don't More Canadians File Medical Malpractice Claims?

So why aren't their more medical malpractice law suits in Canada?

Part of it certainly has to do with the difference in attitude between Canadians and Americans when it comes to litigation. We just aren't as likely to file a lawsuit as Americans are.

It certainly isn't because the CMPA is settling the claims of victims before they file their lawsuits. Their annual report shows they settle less than 500 claims per year.

Is it because they can't find a lawyer willing to take on a complicated and expense medical malpractice claim? Perhaps. Medical malpractice claims are complicated, time consuming, risky and very expensive. There are few lawyers willing to devote the time and money it takes to prosecute medical malpractice claims.

I believe that a bigger problem is that most patients don't know they have been the victim of negligence!

There are no national standards regarding the disclosure of medical errors to patients.

Related posts:

Majority of Infant Deaths Due to Medical Error Preventable

Medical Malpractice Kills More Than 24,000 Canadians Each Year

Overworked Nurses Causing Medication Errors

Continue reading " How Often Does Medical Malpractice Happen in Canada? " »

When someone dies or is seriously injured in a hospital, or after receiving medical care, it is human nature to feel that someone is responsible, that someone is to blame.

But from a legal standpoint, it may not actually be possible to prove that someone is liable (legally responsible) for the death or injury.

There are four things that you have to prove in order to win your medical malpractice case in Canada:

Standard of Care:

Doctors, nurses and other health care workers are human. They are not expected to be perfect. But they are expected to be reasonably competent.

You will need expert evidence to show what standard of care is expected of a reasonably competent doctor (or nurse). For example, doctors in the same specialty as the negligent doctor must be willing to testify that the conduct of the doctor fell below accepted standards.

Breach of the Standard:

You will need expert evidence to prove that the doctor (or nurse) did not meet the standard expected of a reasonably competent doctor (or nurse).

In other words, did they do something that they should not have done, or did they fail to do something that they should have done?

Making a simple mistake or getting a bad result is not enough – you must prove that it was a significant error which directly led to your injury.

Causation:

Not only must you prove that the doctor (or nurse) breached the standard of care; you must also prove that the breach actually caused your injury.

It is possible that a doctor can be negligent (breach the standard of care), but the negligence isn’t what caused the injury

For example, failing to wear surgical gloves during an operation is a breach of the standard of a competent surgeon. But it is not likely to cause you to suffer a stroke during your operation.

On the other hand, failing to wear gloves may very well cause or contribute to the surgical wound becoming infected, leading to serious injury or death.

Damages:

Finally, you have to prove what the financial consequences of the injury has been so that the court can award damages for pain and suffering, and any income loss or medical expenses as a result of your injury.

For example, you will need experts like physical medicine specialists to prove the extent of your injuries; vocational experts to establish how your injuries affect your ability to work; and actuarial or economic experts to calculate your past and future income loss and future pension loss.

Continue reading " What Do I Have to Prove to Win My Medical Malpractice Case in Canada? " »