Hospitals are the last place where negligence should occur, particularly due to the sensitivity and perilous nature of many of the conditions that bring people to these medical settings. Despite this, hospitals are indeed a place where negligence occurs, often leading to severe complications and even potentially death for those young and old. Sick and injured patients are at their most vulnerable at the hospital. Many arrive at the emergency room with life-threatening conditions, relying on the medical expertise of hospital staff to improve their conditions or even save their lives. Unfortunately, hospitals that should be safe havens of quality care for people of all ages often are not always. Negligence can and does occur in hospital settings, causing sick and injured people further damage, sometimes even costing them their lives.
When negligent errors occur in hospitals, patients’ lives are undoubtedly in danger. As such, it is critical to be aware of red flags of substandard care that signal hospital negligence, such as insufficient staff, declining health, unsafe practices, broken or outdated medical equipment, or neglectful patient monitoring and follow-up. Patients and their loved ones who recognize the warning signs of negligent hospital care are better equipped to prevent harm to themselves and their families. When these tragedies do happen, explore your legal rights and options by contacting our experienced New Jersey medical malpractice attorneys.
Fundamentals of Negligence in a Hospital Environment
Negligence in hospital care is primarily substandard care. Healthcare professionals have a duty to practice medicine at a standard measured against what other competent medical professionals deliver to their patients under the same or similar circumstances. They are legally negligent when they breach their duty of care, and that breach directly leads to patient harm and resulting damages.
Some of the top examples of what can go wrong in negligent hospitals include diagnostic errors (misdiagnosis, failure to diagnose, or delayed diagnosis), medication errors, surgical errors, medical equipment issues, patient falls, poor patient monitoring, patient consent violations, unhygienic practices, nursing errors, dangerous environmental conditions, emergency room errors, and communication failures.
Leading Red Flags of a Negligent Hospital
Staffing Shortages
An obvious red flag signaling hospital negligence is a short-staffed facility. Inadequate staffing is evident when patients do not get what they need, such as prompt consultations, diagnoses, and treatment. Overworked doctors may rush from room to room, leaving patients with unanswered questions, or stressed and tired nurses may be slow to respond to patient needs, rude, and complaining. Patients may have long waits between doctor or nurse visits.
Failure to Follow Proper Protocols and Procedures
Another indication of negligent care is when hospital staff fail to follow proper protocols for patient safety, such as sanitization and infection protection by handwashing, disinfecting medical equipment, sterilizing medical instruments, and cleaning dirty surfaces. Cross-contamination is a known threat in hospitals that can endanger sick patients with infections.
Communication Breakdowns
Failures involving communication also threaten patient safety when staff members do not transfer information to other patient care staff.
Low-Quality Patient Care
Negligent patient care is an obvious sign that a hospital is negligent. A patient whose condition worsens in the hospital may have an incorrect diagnosis or treatment. Failure to diagnose may be evident when a doctor does not order the appropriate tests, review test results, or act on test findings. Other errors or omissions include performing unnecessary or incorrect surgeries, making mistakes during surgery, and prematurely discharging a patient. A patient with bedsores or persistent pain are also signs of negligent patient care.
Inadequate Patient Monitoring
Importantly, high-risk patients in the hospital require more staff monitoring. Inconsistent or nonexistent monitoring of patient vitals or disregard of patient complaints are yet more signs of negligent hospital practices.
Environmental and Facility Conditions
In addition, the hospital conditions may signal a negligent facility. Broken or outdated hospital equipment, cluttered hallways with dangerous obstacles, wet floors without warning signs, slippery floors or walkways, and broken elevators and bathrooms that pose dangers to patients and visitors paint a picture of accidents and injuries waiting to happen. For example, when bed rails do not work or staff fails to use them, a patient can fall out of bed and suffer devastating injuries.
Flaws in Medication Prescription and Administration
Serious flaws in medication prescription and administration can cause irreparable damage and is a sure sign of hospital negligence. Prescribing the wrong medication or dosage is one such error leading to patient suffering or treatment delay. The wrong medication can be deadly when a patient has medication allergies. Also, nurses who do not follow the doctor’s instructions may under or overdose a patient or ineffectively administer medication.
Lacking Follow-up Care
Hospitals that release patients without instructions to schedule a follow-up appointment or that do not schedule follow-up appointments after major illnesses, injuries, or surgeries are most likely negligent. Additionally, missing instructions on discharge paperwork about medication administration and post-surgery care is another red flag of subpar hospital practices. Follow-up care includes communicating with patients after they leave the hospital in many cases.
Proactive Steps to Follow if You Suspect a Negligent Hospital
If you are a patient in a hospital that you suspect is negligent, you should take the appropriate steps to protect yourself. For example, communicate your concerns to your healthcare provider, the hospital administration, or patient advocate. You can also file a complaint with the medical board or regulatory agency overseeing the hospital.
For your safety, you might want to get a second opinion from another medical provider when you suspect your care and treatment were inadequate. Continuous pain or worsening of your condition may prompt you to seek advice from another medical professional. You should also seek advice from a medical malpractice attorney. To help an attorney assess your legal claim, keep good records detailing your care, treatment, and communications during and after your hospital stay. Those records will help your attorney determine whether medical malpractice occurred.
Seek Informed Legal Guidance from Fronzuto Law Group
You may have a claim for injuries resulting from negligent hospital care and Fronzuto Law Group is here to help you obtain just compensation. With decades of experience suing negligent hospitals and medical facilities, we understand that pursuing a medical malpractice claim is not a straightforward process. You must prove that the hospital was negligent, meaning staff and administrators breached their duty of standard care, which caused your harm and resulting losses. It is our attorneys’ work to find, organize, and present that proof in the most strategic and effective manner possible in order to ensure that all of your financial, physical, and psychological damages are compensated. If you have been hurt and disillusioned by negligent hospital care, discuss your case with a qualified medical malpractice attorney on our team today.
