Preventable hospital mistakes result in significant patient injury,
illness, or even death more often than most of us would like to
think. When a doctor, hospital or other medical professional fails
to exercise the level of care, skill, or prudence required to
prevent patient injury, the professional's negligence or wrongdoing
is considered medical malpractice. Through the civil tort system, a
victim of medical malpractice has the right to seek compensation for
their losses from the party responsible for the hospital mistakes.
According to the Center for Disease Control, hospital mistakes cause
nearly two million patients to develop preventable infections in
United States hospitals every year. At least 90,000 of these victims
will die as a result of their injuries. Hospital born infections
were the sixth leading cause of death to American adults in 2004,
falling not far behind heart attacks, strokes, and cancer.
Infections are just one of the potentially devastating damages that
can result from hospital mistakes.
Hospital mistakes can also involve prescription errors which can
result in serious harm to the patient. The US Pharmacopoeia has
received at least 360,000 reports of prescription errors in American
hospitals since 1998. In 2001 alone, the agency received 2,000
reports of prescription errors in emergency rooms. These are only
the prescription-related hospital mistakes that are reported. The
most common medication errors are prescribing errors, omission
errors, improper dosage errors, prescribing medications a patient is
allergic to, and more. Approximately 7,000 Americans die every year
as a result of preventable medication-related hospital mistakes.
Hospital mistakes can also be made during medical procedures like
child birth or surgery. Preventable hospital mistakes during these
types of medical procedures can cause infections, delayed healing,
brain damage, disfigurement, and other serious injuries. Hospital
mistakes during child birth can lead to wrongful death or lifelong
injury and disability when a medical professional's recklessness or
negligence causes brain damage, Cerebral Palsy, Erb's Palsy, and
more. Hospital mistakes can sometimes be so severe that a surgery is
performed on the wrong patient or at the wrong surgery site
altogether. As of 2001, the Joint Commission on Accreditation of
Healthcare Organizations received at least 150 reports of gross
hospital mistakes that involved wrong site surgery.
Hospital mistakes can also involve a failure to diagnose or
misdiagnosis of a patient's condition. This can prevent a patient
from receiving the important treatment they need. Statistics
indicate that 20 to 40 percent of all diagnoses made in emergency
departments involve significant mistakes. When a patient's treatment
is crucial or time sensitive, hospital mistakes can lead to serious
injury or even death. Autopsy reports from one study indicated that
35 to 40 percent of the decedents had an incorrect or un-diagnosed
condition that likely caused their death.
If you would like to learn more about hospital mistakes, please
contact us to speak with a qualified and experienced medical
malpractice attorney who can evaluate your case to determine your
legal rights and options.
Contact us by
Email or call us today at (401) 788-0600 to speak with a
someone from our firm..
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