What is Hospital Negligence?
A hospital is said to have engaged in malpractice or “hospital negligence” when some member of the hospital staff that provides healthcare and treatment to patients engages in some kind of improper or negligent act, such as failure to monitor the patient, causing a patient to suffer some kind of injury.
The hospital is allowing employees under its control to provide medical care and treatment below the generally acceptable standard of care expected of a competent hospital provider. Hospital staff can be doctors, nurses, pharmacists, radiologists and other staff. Hospital malpractice can include failure to stabilize a patient, failure to order diagnostic testing, improper use of anesthesia, improper use of medical equipment, performing procedures without consent and failure to monitor a patient to name just a few unacceptable shortcomings.
Failure to Monitor Hospital Patient
A hospital by way of its staff of healthcare providers, doctors, nurses, nurse’s aides and others are responsible to monitor an in-patient’s medical status and medical needs in order to protect that patient’s health and safety. If hospital staff has failed to monitor an in-patient for an extended period of time and as a result that patient suffers an injury then the hospital has breached its duty of care by providing medical care falling below the acceptable standard of care generally required of a hospital, nursing home and assisted living facility. In such an instance the hospital is liable to the injured patient for hospital malpractice or hospital negligence.
When hospital healthcare providers fail to carefully monitor an in-patient’s condition and changes in health status during such events as pregnancy, labor and delivery of a child, post completion of surgery or post some kind of clinical test or procedure the result can be disastrous, causing severe health complications, injuries and even wrongful death.
Getting Legal Help
If you or a member of your family has suffered an injury due to the failure of hospital staff to adequately monitor your condition while a patient in a hospital it may be important for you to contact a medical malpractice attorney to thoroughly discuss the circumstances of that injury. An attorney can review the conditions that gave rise to the injury to evaluate the possibility of instance of hospital negligence or malpractice and if appropriate to file an action against the hospital to protect the rights and interests of the injured patient.
