Common Causes of Hospital Negligence Cases

Most of the time, when people go to a hospital for treatment of a medical condition, they are treated extremely well and come out in better condition than when they went in. In some cases, however, when a patient is in the care of the hospital and they are being treated by doctors, nurses, or any other medical professional, they fail to provide proper health care or make mistakes. There are many causes of hospital negligence, which may be grounds for a lawsuit for the victim.

Hospital negligence can occur whenever anyone employed by the hospital fails meet a basic standard of care as determined by the medical community. It can include medical malpractice on the part of medical professionals who are employed or contracted by the hospital, but it can also include other types of negligence, including failure to provide adequate staffing or supervision or failure to properly analyze and interpret tests. Even though such negligence or abuse may be at the hands of an individual employee, based on the concept of vicarious liability, the hospital can be considered responsible for that negligent conduct.

Among the most common types of hospital negligence include the following:

• Injuries resulting from falls
• Birth injuries
• Misdiagnoses or failure to diagnose
• Prescription medication errors or overmedication
• Surgical errors
• Leaving objects like sponges or surgical tools in the body after surgery
• Improper care, such as those which result in bedsores or other maladies

Too often, the most serious causes of hospital negligence can leave a patient with a permanent injury, such as the loss of a limb, a permanent brain injury and, in some cases, it can result in a wrongful death. A hospital may have been negligent and can be found liable for a number of reasons; for example, they may not have enough staff to provide sufficient care to all patients, they may have failed to properly supervise or train staff, or they may have failed to make sure non-employees, such as an attending physician or other independent contractor, is properly credentialed.

Because they are licensed and regulated by both the federal government and the state of Pennsylvania, hospitals are required by law to follow certain specific policies and procedures designed to protect and preserve the health of all patients. There is simply never an excuse for placing patients in harm’s way by failing to provide adequate care or for providing care that is routinely excellent. Whenever a patient is left with a serious injury due to negligent care, the hospital can be held liable for those injuries.

Hospital Negligence Cases Are Medically Complex

As is the case with all medical malpractice, hospital negligence cases can be very complicated, primarily because the law surrounding such issues is very difficult to comprehend, but also because hospitals and their insurance carriers try to protect themselves with claims of “complications” that no one could have predicted, and they have large teams of lawyers at their disposal who will work hard to make sure they are not held liable for the different causes of hospital negligence.

If you or a loved one has been the victim of negligence on the part of hospital personnel and were seriously injured or suffered a wrongful death, you should work with highly experienced Medical Negligence Attorneys, like the ones at Lopez McHugh, who will be able to use their extensive experience and access to experts in the field to show the deviation from acceptable standards of care and who can calculate the full value of the damage done and get you the compensation you deserve. Contact a Philadelphia hospital negligence attorney at Lopez McHugh today, so that we can evaluate your hospital negligence case and discuss your options with you.