Posts Tagged ‘Hospital Safety’

If you visit a relative or friend in the hospital but are asked to leave because “visiting hours” are over, can you trust that the hospital workers will monitor and administer the utmost care and attention to your loved one? 

Disturbingly, the answer is no.  According to the AARP, an estimated 98,000 hospital patients die every year in the United States because of preventable errors, such as mistaken identity or medication mixups.  There have been many cases where a patient has been harmed because of mislabeling on a medication or on the patient chart that leads to the incorrect medication being administered.  Or perhaps the hospital staff simply may not notice when a patient is in pain or is in need of assistance – while the nurses have many patients they must tend to, a relative remaining by the bedside might notice something such as an adverse reaction to medication or an IV drip that had pulled out of a vein, or even something less specific.  Merely noting that the patient “doesn’t look so good” might prompt a doctor or a nurse to take a closer look – it might be nothing, but it might mean preventing the patient’s condition from worsening.  A simple mixup could have the nurses administering a test or an injection that may be meant for the patient on the next hospital bed.  Such errors could be prevented by instituting unlimited visiting hours, as some hospitals have, allowing relatives and friends to stay with the patient through medical procedures and even during some emergencies, sharing their observations and concerns.

Human beings make mistakes, and doctors and nurses are human beings.  But the price of not taking every available precaution with such preventable errors can be catastrophic in certain cases, and the suffering caused to patients and their loved ones may be immeasurable.  People should not hesitate to voice their concerns regarding the care of loved ones in the hospital.  Though it may seem to be stepping on the toes of the doctors and nurses, the possible outcome of a preventable error could be disastrous.  Karen Aydt Curtiss, who is writing a book on how to help a loved one in the hospital, titled “Someone With You,” makes some suggestions such as asking nurses about new medications, ensuring the drug orders match the patient’s ID bracelet, asking everyone who enters the room to wash their hands and sterilize any equipment, and keeping a journal of your observations.

Patients should not have to pay the price for these preventable errors.  If you or a loved one has suffered from such errors, you should contact a New York Medical Malpractice attorney today to discuss your legal rights and options.

At the Consumerinjurylawyers.com blog, we wish to make consumers aware of helpful resources that will protect and inform them before they undergo medical care. Additionally, those who feel that they have suffered harm due to medical malpractice need to be informed of consumer-driven outlets that will educate patients on possible recourses. Patients are no longer helpless regarding hospital safety resources, thanks to the work of several victims of medical malpractice. These survivors and family members have taken to the Internet to inform potential patients on possible indicators of medical errors and counsel others suffering due to medical malpractice. This patient-initiated grassroots safety movement has already had a profound impact on hospital safety policy by encouraging doctors to be aware, cautious, and upfront regarding patient care.

Often in taking the form of online communities and blogs, patient-created hospital safety resources provide comradery, medical, and legal advice on avoiding and treating medical error. Blogs such as josieking.com, Consumers Advancing Patient Safety, patientadvocare.blogspot.com, and Persons United Limiting Substandards and Errors in Health Care, were started by people who have lost loved ones or themselves been injured by substandard health care. One in 10 patients admitted to hospitals world-wide will suffer some type of preventable harm. These patient safety blogs aim to lower that number through their support.

Patient advocates encourage consumers to choose doctors with electronic medical recording systems, pick physicians that do specialized operations frequently rather than sporadically, and go to hospitals whose spiritual beliefs are in line with the patient’s. Parents of hospitalized children should specify requests for their child’s surgeries in writing, and ask the doctor to sign the written request. After obtaining care, hospital safety blogs request that patients see their primary care providers immediately after being discharged from the hospital. These seemingly simple, but important, requests could be crucial in preventing and detecting medical malpractice, and aiding in malpractice litigation.

Such hospital safety resources are beneficial to a broader audience than just patients. Patient-safety movements also provide tips for medical practitioners to improve safety, which could ultimately save physicians billions of dollars in additional hospitalization, litigation claims, and medical expenses. Because programs can be so financially beneficial to care providers, doctors have internalized the suggestions of patient safety advocates. The New York Times has reported that hospitals who end a “defend and deny” policy can drastically reduce lawsuits, and in the process, prevent patients from baring the emotional and financial cost of medical mistakes.

But medical malpractice is still prevalent, and patients must keep themselves informed in order to prevent and receive compensation for medical malpractice. Consumers should look at consumer safety resources before their loved ones or they undergo medical care, and especially if they notice any red flags during treatment. To obtain further information on a New York medical malpractice lawyer, to investigate a possible malpractice claim, please contact us.