There are many aspects of care that patients can experience at a hospital. One universal tenet is that the hospital must take steps to ensure patient safety. Doing so includes a vast array of steps and procedures. When any of these are omitted, the patients can suffer harm and the hospital could face allegations of negligence.
We know that many hospital patients assume that the nurses and doctors are very busy, so they might let little errors and omissions slip by without bringing it to their caregivers’ attention. Below are some things that shouldn’t ever be ignored.
- Failing to wash hands. Anyone who comes in contact with patients, including those who clean the room, should wash their hands upon entering. This single action can do a lot to protect patients from the spread of germs around the hospital.
- Improper medication management. Patients should get their medicines on time, in the correct quantity and only after orders are verified.
- Lack of verification. All interactions with patients, including treatments, testing and medication administration, should include steps to verify the patient’s identity. Usually, this includes scanning the bracelet and asking the patient for information like their full name and birthday.
- Substandard care. Having a low patient-to-staff ratio can help ensure that patients get the care they need. Unfortunately, understaffing is quite common in hospitals. Patients should vigilantly watch response time to assistance requests and other forms of care while they are in the facility.
We know that you never expected to suffer more harm at the hospital. If this does happen, we will help you seek compensation for the damages that you have caused by the incident.
