Hospital Mistakes
When hospital mistakes occur, patients suffer. Even though America has some of the best hospitals in the world, accidents still happen. Medical News Today has reported that, “An average of 195,000 people in the USA died due to potentially preventable, in-hospital medical errors in each of the years 2000, 2001 and 2002.”*
Sadly, not much has changed in the last ten years. Doctors, surgeons and nurses are still understaffed and overworked. This makes them prone to potentially life-altering mistakes that can lead to chronic pain, disfigurement, and even death.
Many types of hospital mistakes are called “never events” in the medical community because they should never happen. But hospital errors occur with disheartening frequency. Some of the most common mistakes include:
- Surgical objects left in the patient after surgery
- Patient falls
- Hospital-acquired infections
- Infants discharged to the wrong person
- Maternal death or serious disability in a low-risk pregnancy
- Death or brain damage in jaundice in infants
- Oxygen delivery errors
What Constitutes a Hospital Mistake?
Not every negative outcome is caused by medical negligence and not every hospital mistake warrants the investment of time and energy in a lawsuit. Some injuries come from causes that are not preventable or foreseeable. But when medical mistakes cause serious injuries, patients have a right to compensation for the cost of ongoing medical treatment, loss of wages and other costs.
Consult a Shapiro Medical Negligence Attorney
If you believe that the injuries you or a loved one suffered are the result of hospital mistake or surgical error, contact our office for a free consultation and case evaluation. Our experienced medical malpractice lawyers will help you decide if your case is worth pursuing.
Some areas of our expertise include:
- Physician Mistakes
- Unnecessary Surgery Resulting in Severe Harm
- Surgical Errors
- Mistakes/ Omissions
- Failure to obtain a surgical specialist
Source: medicalnewstoday.com
