September 2014 Archives

The increasing numbers of individuals living in the United States whose primary languages are different than English may not be a surprise to those living in New Mexico. However, the need for qualified medical interpreters is becoming a serious concern as patients and families face challenges such as medication errors and other negative events due to poor understanding. According to statistics, 9 percent of those living in the U.S. are exposed to the risk of adverse events due to language issues. Although many patients will rely on family members to interpret in medical settings, this is discouraged because a lack of knowledge about medical terminology can contribute to poor management of a case or result in a negative outcome. It is common for experts in the medical field to be aware of cases in which inadequate interpretation has posed a serious threat to the well-being of a patient. Similar pronunciations in different languages, for example, could result in the wrong body part being identified as the source of a medical problem. Language-related medical errors may be inconsistently monitored, making it difficult to identify progress being made. Additionally, it has been noted that those who are not native speakers of the English language are less apt to raise concerns about medical errors. Additional concerns exist with professional interpreters erring in their work, inserting personal perspectives or using terms that aren't part of the language spoken by a patient. The accuracy of professional interpreters is noted as being better among those who have had a minimum of 100 hours of training time.

In New Mexico and across the U.S., failure to diagnose and improper diagnosis are common medical malpractice claims that can arise in a variety of circumstances. Laws in New Mexico allow for a patient that has suffered unnecessary complications or procedures due to a failure to diagnose or improper diagnosis to file a medical malpractice lawsuit against the doctor or hospital responsible for the misdiagnosis.

In New Mexico and every other state in the country, the adverse effects of hospital medical errors are a major problem. Each year, 400,000 people die as a result of hospital medical errors, making them the third-leading cause of death in the United States. Faced with these overwhelming numbers, many people in the medical community are trying to come up with ways to combat the problem of physician errors.

New Mexico residents may be aware of some cases of alleged malpractice by a doctor at the Gerald Champion Regional Medical Center in Alamagordo. The allegations have led to the closing of the nonprofit hospital after an overwhelming amount of malpractice claims stemming from the doctor's use of experimental, unwarranted back surgeries. Although the questionable practices began with the doctor's hiring in 2006 and continued until he left the hospital, the case has only recently come to trial.

Residents in New Mexico may be able to relate to an ongoing legal dispute concerning a fatal medical error that occurred at a healthcare facility in Massachusetts. A 74-year-old woman died in November 2013 after she awoke from an operation that was supposed to be a routine procedure involving an implantable pain pump at Tufts Medical Center in Boston. The woman died from the surgery later that same day.