According to an article written by researchers from the University of Utah and published in Health Affairs, one out of every three patients entering a U.S. hospital will experience a medical error while there.
“Without a doubt, we’ve seen improvements in health care over the past decade, and even pockets of excellence,” says Susan Dentzer, editor-in-chief of Health Affair, “but overall progress has been agonizingly slow.” Apparently, your hospital is one of those “pockets of excellence”—bravo!
The researchers in this study found the following examples of hospital errors:
- Leaving items inside a patient’s body during surgery;
- Life-threatening staph infections;
- Bedsores, or pressure ulcers;
- Persistent post-surgical back pain;
- Giving a patient the wrong medication;
- Giving a patient the wrong dosage of a medication;
- Misdiagnosing; and
- Performing a surgical procedure on the wrong part of the body.
Doctors and other medical professionals are like all other human beings: they make mistakes. But also like the rest of us, they should make recompense to the victims of their mistakes. If you or someone you love has been harmed by a Kentucky health care provider’s error or negligence, contact the Louisville medical malpractice attorneys at Gray and White Law. Call us at 502-210-8942 or toll free at 888-450-4456 and set up a FREE, no-obligation, confidential consultation.