Being in the hospital can be a scary experience for many people. Whether you are in the hospital for a routine procedure or you are trying to get your unknown medical condition diagnosed and treated, you usually don't think about the impact a medical error would have on your health.
How does your hospital rank? You'll probably never know
Most patients don't plan on going to the hospital or have a long time to consider which hospital to go to during an emergency situation. In other cases, a person's health insurance dictates which hospital they can go to. Hospitals are supposed to safely care for patients and hopefully result in the patient leaving healthier than when they arrived. Unfortunately, this isn't always the case.
Patient care different across New England based on doc preference
Dartmouth researchers recently conducted a study across three New England states. The researchers found that patient care varied greatly in pediatric patients for similar issues. The care that patients received was often determined by a doctors preference, and not entirely on the needs of the patient. Patients in some geographic areas had more emergency room visits than others. Some had their tonsils taken out more frequently, and there was a large variance across the region in how tests were conducted.
Religious directives at many hospitals threaten patient safety
According to ABC News, one out of every six Americans receive care at a hospital that adheres to certain religious doctrines which have led to patient harm in the past. Like physicians, hospitals have a duty of care to adhere to certain medically recognized standards when treating patients. If a facility fails to honor its patient duty of care, it may be held accountable for hospital negligence. When religious doctrine and patient standards of care collide, patients may suffer serious consequences justified by tenants of a faith they may or may not practice.
Lawsuit filed against New York hospital after patient loses legs
A New York woman has filed a medical malpractice lawsuit against Winthrop University Hospital after suffering serious complications from blood poisoning and gangrene. The lawsuit claims that the surgeon made a mistake while trying to remove an ectopic pregnancy that resulted in the patient losing her legs and suffer from hearing loss.
Diagnostic errors leading cause of medical malpractice claims
When you go to the hospital and have numerous tests done, you expect the doctor to find out what's wrong with you and treat whatever illness you have. Patients rely on doctors and hospitals to properly diagnose and treat their conditions. When a doctor fails to diagnose a patient with the correct disorder or doesn't provide treatment soon enough, the patient's life is at risk for serious complications and even death.
Mislabeled bottle results in horrific burns on woman's cervix
In personal injury cases, a victim has been harmed in an “accident” or as a result of a “mistake” or “error” in judgment. These labels almost seem like misnomers, because they could make the incident appear somewhat minor. For the victims of these “mistakes,” the pain and damage is anything but minor.
Researcher says doctors avoid noting colleagues' medical errors
Though it shouldn't, it's a problem that exists: medical professionals are reluctant to point out when a colleague has made a mistake that puts a patient's health at risk. According to an article in the New England Journal of Medicine, this reluctance is common, and the predominant culture of the medical profession needs to change.
Do large malpractice awards improve care?
Upstate New York residents who have never fallen prey to a medical professional's negligence may be under the assumption that successful plaintiffs of medical malpractice lawsuits are able to coast through the rest of their lives with their winnings. But the truth is that if you receive an award or settlement in such a case, you've already paid a heavy price with your health -- or the health or death of a loved one.
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