Medical negligence can come in many different ways and can cause a significant amount of damage to patients in Illinois. It can result in a worsening of one’s condition or even a fatality. These mistakes can affect adults and children. The last thing a parent wants to believe is that a doctor or other medical professional made an error that damaged their child.
A recent study in the U.S. found that one out of every ten parents were able to see errors that doctors did not. This study, conducted in the pediatric units in a Boston hospital, suggests that parents can help in preventing children from being harmed due to these types of errors. The author of the study suggests that parents can see things that the medical professional might have missed. With this information, safety can be improved.
During this study, researchers analyzed data for 383 children who were in the hospital between 2013 and 2014 were examined. Parents were asked to complete written surveys to describe safety incidents that happened to their children while in the hospital. The incidents were separated in categories of errors and other problems that were not a threat to patient safety. Nearly nine percent of the parents reported 37 safety incidents, 62 percent were medical errors, and 24 percent were other quality control problems. The remainder – 14 percent – had no issues. In the category of medical mistakes, 30 percent resulted in preventable harm.
Those who were harmed had to stay in the hospital longer and were found to be more frequently afflicted with neuromuscular or metabolic conditions. Included were foreign bodies left behind after a procedure was done, mistakes with pain medication, and recognizing and treating urinary retention. Although this was a small sample size, it opens a window into the dangers that people can face when they are hospitalized.
If a patient or their family believes that there was an incident of medical negligence that led to the patient becoming a victim of a medical error and being harmed or even killed, they should do something about it. Speaking to a lawyer who is experienced in cases involving a missed diagnosis, and other forms of medical malpractice, can help in recovering compensation through a legal filing.
Source: reuters.com, “Mom and dad often catch hospital errors doctors missed,” Lisa Rappaport, Feb. 29, 2016
