Most forms of medical malpractice entail the patient potentially suing a doctor or other professional for negligence. However, a case of hospital malpractice can involve the patient suing the entire hospital.
The Staff Should be Trained
Hospital malpractice cases often develop as a result of hospital staff members not being properly prepared or educated before taking care of patients. In particular, staff members may not have the education they need to take care of certain medical services. They may not hold licenses in some cases. They may also not have been trained to take care of some of the newest procedures and standards within the industry.
Non-Employees May Come Around
There are times when hospitals may hire non-employees to take care of certain procedures. These include independent contractors like attending physicians who have experience in specific fields. Malpractice often develops when these contractors do not have all the necessary credentials.
Credentials often include limits as to what a person can and cannot access while in the hospital. In particular, one professional might have gotten access to an operating room or other space that the person was not allowed to get into.
A Lack of Staff
Hospital malpractice also occurs when a hospital does not have enough staff to take care of the needs that patients may have. That is, there are not enough nurses, technicians or other critical staff members available to take care of the needs patients have. A hospital that is understaffed will often become unable to react to any problems that patients might develop. This is especially crucial during emergency situations when the patient is at risk of serious damages if no one is available to help.
A Lack of Records
Hospitals also have to keep records on all procedures that patients have undergone. They have to report on what conditions people hold and secure them in files that may be kept for years on end. They may also lose records in some of the worst cases including times when they fail to protect electronic or paper records. Hospitals are required to secure all pieces of data relating to patients and may be subjected to malpractice claims if they don’t report on people.
Protective Materials are Needed
Many patients in hospitals require protective materials on their bodies. These include facemasks to keep from breathing in items, dressings to cover wounds and even protective eye wear in the event that any lasers or other intense beams of light are used during a procedure. A hospital must ensure that patient is aware of what must be used while enforcing all standards relating to wearing such pieces of equipment.
The protective materials must also be properly maintained. The patients have to wear items that are disposable and fully sterilized so they will not get in contact with other foreign components that older patients might have been exposed to.
Building Maintenance Threats
There are frequently times when building maintenance issues may come about. In particular, a hospital may not have the necessary lighting required to monitor patients and ensure that medical procedures are run as well as demanded.
There can even be times when the air quality in the hospital may not be as strong as needed. These include cases where the heating and cooling units in a hospital are letting in dirty air or are not filtering particles as well as needed. This can cause harmful particles to float in the air and potentially cause infections.
Hospitals must keep track of everything relating to patients while also preventing serious problems from developing.