When we’re ill, most of us would like to try to get better without going to the hospital. However, sometimes our illnesses or injuries require medical expertise that can only be provided to us as an inpatient at a hospital. Though we’re not eager to go, we don’t expect that going to the hospital will cause us harm. We don’t expect that hospital negligence will cause us to suffer an injury.However, hospital negligence in Virginia and Washington D.C. harms patients each year. There are many ways in which a hospital can be negligent. Here are three that we encourage every patient to be aware of:
- Infections: a hospital-acquired infection is often both preventable and deadly. It is particularly dangerous for a person who is already ill to acquire an infection. These serious consequences could often have been easily prevented if hospital equipment was properly cleaned, if personnel washed their hands regularly, and if tubes and other devices were inserted in sterile environments.
- Wrong Operation: doctors, nurses and hospital administrators are smart people to whom we entrust our wellbeing. We trust that they will perform the correct operation – the operation that we have consented to – on us when we enter the operating room. However, that is not always the case. Each year people are hurt and undergo unnecessary pain and suffering when the incorrect operation is performed on them.
- Incorrect care: a hospital delivers not only surgical care and medical services but also daily living needs such as food and medication. When the wrong food or medication is provided to a patient, the results can be serious and life threatening. People who are harmed by this kind of error may have a compensable hospital negligence claim.
If you’ve been hurt, or if you’ve lost a loved one, because of Virginia hospital negligence then you may be entitled to damages. We encourage you to read our free e-book, Do I Have a Case? A Patient’s Guide to Virginia Medical Negligence Law, and contact our experienced Virginia and Washington D.C. hospital negligence lawyers for a free consultation.