– – Seeking apologies, compensation and preventing harm to others
Hospitals should be safe. However, we all know someone seriously harmed by hospital mistakes. It doesn’t matter how many times a procedure has been performed or how trustworthy a medical team is, sometimes safety systems are ignored or just not followed. Hospitals and their staffs do not do always their jobs right and they should be accountable when they make errors.
Many times, patients feel much better when they get an apology and they know something is being done to correct the issue. Perhaps the hospital takes care of a patient’s medical expenses and provides assistance for the patient to recover, or the hospital puts protocols in place to prevent similar events from happening. This can be good when it happens.
What doesn’t help is when no one will admit to mistakes. That’s when you and your attorney need to consider suing. Your injuries happened at the hands of those who should have known better within a facility where they should have had the best training and most opportunities to do right by you.
What should you do if you believe you suffered an injury as a result of hospital negligence?
The first thing to do is to keep track of what happened. Write down dates and what you noticed or heard said and by whom. Get names of witnesses. Talk to those around you to find out what happened if you weren’t awake or aware of what was going on. The more evidence you can gather about your injuries, the better.
On top of this, you’ll want to work with an attorney who can review your charts. The hospital should release documents that describe your surgery or treatment with no delays. If the hospital refuses or pages seem to be missing, this is cause for concern and can further be used to prove neglect or malicious intent. The medical records will need to be reviewed by appropriate experts who can testify on your behalf. Your attorney can help find and retain those experts.
Your attorney will talk to you about reaching out to the medical provider and hospital. There may be negotiations that take place outside court if the hospital realizes that you have a strong case against it. In that case, your attorney may be able to negotiate for compensation for you, so that you can focus on recovery without having to worry about a trial.
In some circumstances, you will need to take the hospital to court and have a judge or jury decide your medical malpractice case. In that situation, providing medical documents, proof of your injuries and other data will help you win your case and get you fair compensation. Your attorney will fight for you and help you seek the compensation you deserve as well as work for changes to prevent mistakes that cause injuries to others.