Arizona residents who are admitted to a hospital usually expect expert medical care that will help them get well. However, an estimated 440,000 patients across the nation die each year due to medical mistakes made in hospital settings. In fact, hospital errors trail only heart disease and cancer in numbers as a cause of U.S. deaths.
It is estimated that approximately 1 million patients fall in American hospitals each year. At least one-third of those could have potentially been prevented. Patients who have fallen in the past should talk to their care providers about the medications that they take and seek safeguards to prevent a potential accident. Additionally, too much bed rest can also lead to injuries, such as bed sores. Moving around can prevent injury.
Medication mix-ups also have the ability to lead to injuries. Taking the wrong medication or getting the wrong dose can result in an unneeded complication. When patients are given a prescription, they should write down what the medication is, the dose and how often they should take it. This way, the drug and the dose can be verified before it is taken.
Hospital negligence can cause a great deal of harm to a victim, including the need for additional medical care and treatment and other financial downturns such as lost wages due to an inability to return to employment. A medical malpractice attorney can examine a patient’s hospital records and, along with the opinions of medical experts, attempt to demonstrate that the health care facility failed to exhibit the required standard of care.