While most people hope for the best during any routine medical procedure, many people in New York and around the country have been affected by a doctor’s mistake. One serious mistake doctors have made is operating on the wrong patient.

According to a New York Times article, a case occurred where doctors mixed up two patients who had similar names. The mistake was not discovered until the surgery had already begun, though the woman who was mistakenly operated on was able to make a complete recovery. Another medical error doctors make is not washing their hands when they are wearing latex gloves. One study found that medical providers who routinely wear gloves are less likely to wash their hands. This can increase the risk of deadly infection since germs are able to spread through latex.

A third mistake that is alarmingly common in U.S. hospitals is the administration of the wrong dose of medicine. In many cases, the mistake is relatively harmless or can be corrected without causing serious damage. In one case, a pharmacy technician made a chemotherapy solution 20 times stronger than directions specified. The child who received the treatment died three days after receiving the medication after it caused her brain to swell.

A person who has suffered harm as a result of doctor negligence may be able to file a claim for damages. Most negligence cases are time-barred after a statute of limitations, but some cases can be filed later based on the time that the plaintiff knew or should have known about the nature of the harm caused. An attorney may be able to help by examining medical records and other documents and consulting expert witnesses to help determine what went wrong. In cases where a person has died as a result of medical negligence, immediate family members may be able to file a wrongful death lawsuit against the medical providers who were responsible.