When you go to the hospital, you assume you will receive quality care from medical professionals who are capable and attentive. You have the right to expect a certain standard of care, regardless of the type of treatment you are seeking. Unfortunately, common errors in hospitals can leave you in pain and with additional medical complications.
When a medical professional or care facility is negligent in its care of a patient, it may be medical malpractice. If you are a victim, you could have grounds to pursue compensation through the Illinois civil justice system. After experiencing less-than-quality care during your hospital stay, you may find it beneficial to learn about whether you should move forward with a malpractice claim.
What Can Go Wrong?
Hospitals are busy places, and the doctors and nurses who work in these facilities are often trying to care for multiple patients at once. Whether you are seeking emergency treatment, undergoing testing, having surgery, or seeking treatment for any other type of medical need, care providers have the obligation to listen, diagnose you properly, provide you with the right treatment plan, and more. Some of the most common mistakes that take place in a hospital include:
Surgical errors – This may include operating on the wrong site, leaving an instrument inside a patient, harming a patient during surgery, providing poor post-operative care, and more.
Medication errors – These happen when a patient receives the wrong medication or the wrong dosage. It may also occur if the doctor prescribes a patient a medication that interacts adversely with another medication.
Wrong-patient errors – This type of error can occur if a record is misplaced or a care provider accidentally switches charts. This can lead to the patient receiving the wrong treatment.
Diagnostic errors – These occur when a doctor misreads test results, misses a diagnosis, ignores patient complaints, or rushes through seeing an injured or ill patient.
If you suspect that your extended suffering and the worsening of your medical condition could be the result of medical malpractice, you do not have to suffer alone. It could be beneficial to work with an experienced Illinois personal injury lawyer as you pursue justice and recovery, starting with an initial evaluation of your case. With knowledgeable guidance, you can seek to hold liable parties accountable.