Generally speaking, there are two scenarios where a hospital can be named as a defendant in a medical malpractice claim. In the first, it depends on whether or not the medical professional that caused the injury is an employee of the hospital. If they are, the hospital may be held liable for the actions of its employee. The second is when the patient “looked to” or relied upon the hospital to provide appropriate medical care and the hospital failed to do so. Whether or not a hospital should be held liable for medical malpractice in a particular case is a question that should be addressed by an adept medical malpractice attorney.
Examples of Hospital Malpractice
While there are many different situations in which hospital negligence can occur, the following are some of the more common.
Emergency Room Errors
Often emergency room visits can be straight-forward and uneventful. However, without careful attention to detail, the dangerous may seem routine, such as
- Medication errors
- Failure to recognize and treat cardiac events
- Failure to take an adequate patient history
Hospital Neglect
A hospital must provide adequate staff to meet the needs of patients. Failure to do so leads to the staff the hospital does have being overworked and suffering from insufficient rest. It also leads to unnecessarily long delay times before a patient can receive proper medical attention.
Hospitals must ensure that any medical professionals on staff are properly educated and trained. Should they neglect to do so, they may be liable for any mistakes made by the medical staff member.
It is also imperative that a hospital maintains the equipment it relies upon to diagnose and treat patients is in good working order and condition.
Healthcare-Associated Infections(HAIs)
A healthcare-associated infection(HAI) is an infection that a patient acquires while receiving care for another condition. They include:
- Ventilator-Associated Pneumonia
- Surgical Site Infections
- MRSA (methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus)
Bed Sores
When a patient spends an excessive amount of time lying in bed in a hospital setting they may develop bed sores. Bed sores are pressure ulcers which if left untreated can promptly fester. A bed sore requires immediate medical intervention to prevent it from worsening.
Surgical Errors
We’ve all heard the nightmare surgical stories of sponges left inside of patients and wrong limbs being removed. These are obvious examples of surgical errors. Others include:
- Negligently failing to properly sterilize equipment prior to surgery
- Negligently damaging body parts that are not being operated on
- Negligently using improper equipment during surgery
Speak With An Experienced Ohio Hospital Malpractice Attorney
If you are a victim of hospital malpractice, contact Pat at 937-901-4394 to schedule a free, no-obligation consultation. Pat has the medical malpractice knowledge and expertise needed to provide you with the legal representation you deserve.