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When things go wrong in hospitals, patients often suffer

On Behalf of | Feb 6, 2020 | Firm News

When you go to a Louisiana hospital, you probably assume that the people who work there will provide quality care and appropriate treatment. Unfortunately, that does not always happen. Things can go wrong in hospitals, and when they do, innocent patients may suffer. This may be medical malpractice, and the repercussions can be quite serious.

If something went wrong with your treatment or while you were staying in the hospital for surgery, you may find yourself facing additional pain, extended suffering and other complications. Your situation may the result of negligent care or preventable medical errors, both of which could be grounds for a civil claim against the facility and/or care provider. An assessment of your case can help you see what legal options may be available to you.

What could go wrong?

In a hospital, plenty of things could go wrong. There are many people working and seeking treatment at the same time, which can lead to mix-ups, mistakes and other problems. Because of the many moving parts in a hospital, organization, regulations and certain systems should be in place to protect patient care. Some of the most common hospital errors include:

  • Medication errors — This includes medication mix-ups between patients, giving the wrong dosage, prescribing the wrong drugs or giving drugs that have dangerous interactions with each other.
  • Diagnosis errors — This includes failing to give a patient the right diagnosis or giving a delayed diagnosis. This can lead to a progression of the disease and a worsening of a patient’s condition.
  • Surgery errors — These mistakes happen when a surgeon operates on the wrong place, fails to meet the goals of surgery, leaves objects inside of a patient and more.

These are only a few examples of what can happen when there are not good practices in place in hospitals. Patient care should be a priority regardless of what that person is there for. Most mistakes and errors are preventable with caution, care and safety standards.

Patient rights 

You have the right to expect quality care when are in the hospital. If you believe your continued suffering or the worsening of your physical condition is the result of negligent care or common hospital errors, you have the right to speak up about what happened to you. Through a civil claim, you may be able to claim appropriate compensation for pain and suffering, as well as any losses you experienced.

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