When we go to the hospital for an illness or when we’ve been in an accident, we expect that there is a level of professionalism and care that we receive so that we can heal and go back to our normal lives. Although you may think that the safest place to be is in the hospital, sadly this is not always the case. Sometimes you may receive inefficient or negligent care that can be very dangerous to your health—or even lead to death.
It’s estimated that medical errors are the third leading cause of death each year in the U.S., which can be very distressing for friends and family members of loved ones who are affected.
When you or a loved one must go to the hospital for an illness or an injury, here are a few fatal hospital staff errors to watch out for during your stay.
WHAT TYPES OF HOSPITAL STAFF ERRORS ARE THERE?
There are a few distinct types of negligence in a hospital setting, including the following:
- Misdiagnosis
- Negligence during pregnancy and childbirth
- Mistakes in prescribing or administering medication
- Surgical errors
- Failing to monitor a patient
- Failing to take a patient’s vital signs
- Failing to take an important vital sign
- Administering the wrong type of medication
- Failing to check a bedridden patient for bed sores
- Failing to respond to a patient’s call soon enough
- Failing to report symptoms and complaints
WHAT KINDS OF DEADLY HOSPITAL MISTAKES ARE THERE?
Unfortunately, there are many things that can go wrong while you’re in the hospital. A doctor or a nurse may have dirty hands, which can spread germs to an ill or injured patient. Doctors and nurses are supposed to wash their hands immediately before they touch a patient.
Doctors and nurses can also cause harm by keeping in urinary catheters, breathing tubes, or a vascular catheter too long, causing infectious germs to come into the body. Another life-threatening error a doctor or nurse can do is putting you on a ventilator when you are lying down flat, which can cause VAP (or ventilator-associated pneumonia). Failure to provide special stockings and compression devices can cause blood clots for people who are hospitalized after surgery, cancer treatment, or trauma. Additionally, doctors and nurses should be carefully screening for blood clots in patients who are staying in the hospital.
If you’re ever unsure about a treatment or medication that your doctor or nurse is administering, always be sure to communicate with them about your concerns. It could save your life!
If your loved one has died due to hospital staff errors in Georgia, you could potentially have a medical malpractice lawsuit. Call the experts at the Fry Law Team today at (F:P:Sub:Phone} to see if pursuing legal action is in your best interest.
