Hospital malpractice is an epidemic that causes serious injuries in patients every year. When a patient is admitted into a hospital for care, the utmost trust is instilled into the care the patient will receive during their stay. Unfortunately, patients may suffer from errors at the hospital which may necessitate the involvement of a medical malpractice attorney.
Hospital malpractice can occur not only at the hands of a doctor but also at the hands of nurses, technicians and other hospital staff. Statistics show that 33% of all of all medical malpractice lawsuits are attributed to non-surgeons. Negligence in a hospital setting can occur as a result either of an action erroneously performed or in the form of an action of omission. A medical malpractice attorney can help a family to work through the legal issues involved in such cases.
Examples of negligent actions in a hospital can range from a medication error, in that the wrong medication is given or not given in the proper doses, failure to properly monitor a patient's status, errors during surgical procedures, misdiagnosis of a person's illness, infections arising from a non-sterile hospital environment, injuries sustained during the birthing process, unnecessary procedures or procedures performed without a patient's consent, or even death.
The repercussions for a patient suffering from hospital malpractice can be devastating.
A patient may have to deal with increased amounts of pain and suffering, may have to endure additional medical treatment to correct the negligent act, may be subject to disfigurement of some kind or may be dealing with some type of disability as a result. The patient and family must also deal with the financial consequences as well such as the medical bills, lost wages and income, cost of care and even travel expenses if a patient receives care a long distance from family and loved ones.As is typical with such a traumatic event, a family can be devastated in the wake of being victim to hospital negligence. Some issues that a family may be concerned with are elements needed to prove that negligence occurred, state specific laws governing medical malpractice lawsuits, and also what the statute of limitations are to bring such an action before a Court. These are just a few of the issues that an experienced medical malpractice attorney can help a family navigate when dealing with the pain and trauma of being a victim of hospital negligence.