Gopi Thota

Hospital Negligence:

 

When a person suffers harm at the hands of medical professionals, whether due to negligence, error, or some other act of malpractice, the hospital in which the person received the care may be held liable for any losses or suffering endured by the patient. Hospitals are meant to serve the needs of their patients and keep them safe; but, oftentimes, patient safety is compromised because a hospital fails to take the steps necessary to prevent medical errors and negligence.

 

Medical Errors

According to a famous study conducted by the government’s Institute of Medicine, 98,000 people die every year due to preventable medical errors in hospitals. Furthermore, research suggests that 15 million incidents of preventable medical error occur annually in the United States. Medical error is the 6th leading cause of death, killing more people annually than diabetes, Alzheimer’s, and pneumonia.A medical error is defined as a mistake made by a health care professional, which can result in injury or death to the patient. Medical error is a form of medical malpractice because the mistake often constitutes a failure to meet medical standards of practice, which would preclude such errors. Medical error is the cousin of medical negligence, which involves a medical professional’s failure to act in meeting professional standards.While some interest groups would have us believe that too many lawsuits are filed alleging medical error, in truth, the numbers show that most negligence lawsuits involve medical error that resulted in serious injury to the patient.

 

Using unsterilized, defective, or improper equipment

Administering the wrong type or dose of a medication

Surgical mistake, including wrong site surgery, leaving medical instruments behind during a procedure, cutting of unintended tissues, and more Improperly interpreting test and lab results.

 

Making the wrong diagnosis or treating the condition inappropriately

Hospitals can be held liable for any type of medical error that occurs within their facilities or as a result of their medical professional staff’s actions or negligence.

 

Nurse malpractice and negligence

Nurse malpractice is one area of hospital negligence for which both the nurse(s) and hospital can be held liable. In a hospital setting, it is often the nurses who have the most frequent contact with patients. They come in routinely to check-in on patients, feed them, administer medications and other treatments, take x-rays and perform other tests, and much more. When a nurse makes a medical error or fails to act in a way that prevents harm to a patient, they and the hospital can be held responsible for any subsequent damages to patients.

 

Examples of common nursing mistakes and negligence include:

Giving the wrong type of food or drink to a patient

Giving the wrong type of medication or the wrong dose

Failing to communicate new patient symptoms, complaints, or concerns to doctors and other medical professionals

Failure to keep proper records

Failing to take sanitary precautions

If you or a loved one has suffered harm because of a nurse’s mistake or negligence

 

Emergency Room malpractice and negligence

stethoscope, medical equipmentEmergency rooms are an area of the hospital where situations are urgent and change quickly. The proper care and attention at the right time is crucial to the recovery—and even survival—of many people who visit the ER. It is the responsibility of the hospital and its medical staff to provide such care.

Unfortunately, because they are fast-paced, high-stress, crisis-management environments, emergency rooms often have higher-than-average rates of medical error and negligence. Furthermore, given the nature of patient injury and illness requiring emergency room care, medical mistakes and failures in this area tend to cause serious injury and death.

 

Common examples of emergency room malpractice and negligence include:

Failure to make a proper and prompt diagnosis of a patient

Failure to conduct, evaluate, and follow-up on tests and procedures

Failure to recommend and perform the proper treatment at the right time

Administering the wrong medication, wrong type or wrong dose

Failure to attend to patient in a timely manner (often via triage)

If you or a loved one has suffered harm related to emergency room care, please don’t hesitate to contact an attorney who can provide a free no-obligation consultation during which you can learn more about your legal rights and options. Please read on to learn more about hospital negligence legal cases and your legal rights.

 

Hospital negligence and the law

With regard to medical malpractice claims, the civil justice system provides two invaluable benefits to society. One, it allows citizens the constitutional right to seek damages for the losses and suffering they’ve endured as a result of medical errors and negligence. Second, it encourages hospitals to take greater measures to protect patients; thus, potentially preventing medical errors and malpractice before they have a chance to take place.