Hospitals in Arizona and other states could become part of a medical malpractice suit when a medical injury occurs. In 2014, 7,000 people died due to medication errors while 12,000 died during unnecessary surgeries. There are an estimated 1 million medical injuries annually, but roughly 85,000 malpractice suits are filed every year. There are some ways hospitals try to address concerns before a lawsuit occurs.
Establishing quality control procedures can help if a problem takes place while also letting a hospital gauge overall patient care. This could be most useful for patients undergoing elective surgeries and may involve a third party conducting a survey after the procedure. In some cases where patterns of substandard care become clear, a hospital could take steps to correct behavior before a suit is filed.
The data, dosage requirements and contraindications associated with prescription drugs create a system that should prevent medication errors from happening, but overlooking details can lead to preventable mistakes that cause injury or death. These mistakes may often occur because of a tired or overworked staff, so an oversight department might be needed to enforce and monitor employee shifts.One CEO commented that the best way to avoid a hospital negligence lawsuit is to make sure the staff remembers to focus on patient care.
While most nurses, doctors and hospital administrators do their best to provide quality care to patients, a patient may be entitled to compensation if an error caused injury or a worsened condition. Hospitals are aware of the problems caused by medication errors and mistakes during elective surgeries and could be held accountable if an oversight causes a preventable error. Patients who have been harmed in this manner may want to seek the advice and counsel of a medical malpractice attorney.