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Message: [QUOTE="Nehanda, post: 28264, member: 2262"] Medical mistakes happen in Zimbabwe just like anywhere else. People call these mistakes malpractice or negligence - both words mean the same thing. More patients take doctors to court these days because laws have changed. Doctors don't need perfect skills for every situation. They just need reasonable care matching what other average doctors would do. You can win a lawsuit against a doctor when they fail to use skills that most doctors in their field would use. Every doctor must follow normal standards for their medical specialty. When they don't meet those standards, we call that negligence. Surgeons face the same legal rules as all other professionals who serve the public. Doctors might act negligently by leaving sedated patients alone. They might abandon epileptic patients about to have seizures. They risk lawsuits when they give new sleeping pills to patients with suicide risks, especially patients who have taken those medicines for years. Doctors need extra caution when prescribing enough medication that could kill someone if taken all at once. Healthcare workers must check their equipment regularly. They should test diagnostic machines as manufacturers direct them. Medical staff need to connect symptoms with correct illnesses. A doctor should consider malaria for patients returning from tropical areas rather than assuming they have the flu. They should look for diabetes instead of tonsillitis when symptoms point that way. Failed treatments don't automatically mean doctors acted negligently. Different medical problems respond to different approaches. However, doctors who recommend clearly wrong or dangerous treatments may face malpractice claims. Medical staff should always choose treatments that maintain patient safety above all else. [/QUOTE]

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