HOSPITAL INJURY

Hospital injuries are quite simply injuries that occur as a result of a patient's stay in a hospital. A distinction should be made between what is purely medical malpractice and what is hospital error that is actionable. It is true that a hospital injury can take place by the mistakes that are made on the part of a physician in that hospital, whether it be in a surgical, diagnostic or anaesthetic procedure, or in administering a prescription. But the doctor is not the only part of the hospital atmosphere.

There are, for example, nurses who administer medications to patients; medical technicians who operate equipment used to take tests, which aid in diagnosis; lab technicians who handle samples of blood and other cultures that are extracted from the patient.

There are medical assistants who have contact with the patients as well; orderlies, who generally have access to all the rooms; clerks who check patients into the hospital, administrators who oversee all hospital conditions and operations, and more. Certainly there is plenty of room for hospital error. Hospital policies and practices vary, and sometimes those standards as they relate to preparedness and the level of training are lower than what should customarily be expected. When mistakes are made, they could very well lead to hospital injuries, which can have the same effect as medical malpractice. Patients who suffer from these preventable hospital injuries are entitled to compensation for their pain and suffering, lost wages, and psychological distress, among other things.

If you or a loved one has been the victim of a hospital injury, please do not hesitate to take steps to investigate what your rights may be. Along those lines, feel free to contact our offices. We can make an astute assessment of your claim and decide on the best way to proceed.

For more information relating to hospital injuries
Contact , Brain Injury Attorney Ronaldson & Kuchler Law Offices of Chicago, Illinois.