When we are ill or injured, we likely rely on medical professionals to help make us better. Whether that means treating a wound or diagnosing an illness or medical condition, individuals in Missouri and elsewhere must trust in a medical professional to provide adequate medical care. Unfortunately, mistakes can occur, and medical errors can have grave and fatal results.

When there was a push to digitize medical health records, the goal was to improve health care, reduce errors and decrease costs. The reality is that these changes did not have the intended outcome. In fact, research has illustrated that it is the electronic health records that are responsible for thousands of fatal medical errors each year.

It was found that this system is seriously flawed. This is because patient records are already routinely flawed. Then, add the fact that the system fails to flag potentially dangerous drug orders, list correct start and end dates for prescriptions and even encountering issues when transmitting data between systems. This can lead to wrong information or not up-to-date data when it comes to patient care. This could result in failed, wrong or missed medical treatment, causing the unfortunate and wrongful death of a patient.

The loss of a loved one is a difficult event to navigate. This is especially certain in situations where a negligent act suddenly took a loved one’s life away from them. Surviving family members are likely overwhelmed by the emotions and losses caused by this matter. However, they can begin to overcome them through a wrongful death action. This legal lawsuit could help hold a negligent party accountable, helping one recover compensation for the losses and damages suffered by their negligence.