Preventable Hospital Hazards

Each year, four million Americans suffer from a preventable illness or injury contracted from a hospital. Sadly, almost 300,000 of these people die. In addition to their existing injuries, hospital patients can face serious wounds, infections, and physical injuries from the hospital environment. Either on their own or in combination with other illnesses and injuries, these conditions can ultimately result in a patient’s death.

Some common illnesses and injuries that hospital patients may encounter include:

• Hospital-Acquired Infections (HAIs) — these can include staph infections, antibiotic-resistant infections, intestinal and abdominal complications, urinary tract infections, and pneumonia
• Fractures and falls in the hospital
• Pressure wounds, such as pressure ulcers or bed sores
• Blood clots
• Errors in medications
• Errors in surgery

Hospital staff should be fully dedicated to the health and safety of each patient. However, oftentimes hospital staff members are careless and negligent and fail to attend to this important matter.

Therefore, it is important for the friends and loved ones of hospital patients to understand common hospital hazards and take steps to keep the area safe and sanitary should hospital members fail to do so. In addition to cleaning and sanitizing the patient’s room and helping with personal hygiene tasks, loved ones should help the patient look up and understand different medications and their side effects in order to prevent medication errors.

Contact Us

If your loved one has suffered because of the negligent actions of a health care worker or hospital staff member, you may be able to seek compensation for your losses. Contact the Champaign personal injury lawyers of Spiros Law, P.C. today at 217-328-2828.