Medical Errors in Hospitals

When an emergency happens, we rely on hospitals to take care of our needs, know what is wrong, and fix the problem before it gets worse. It's not something that we believe we need to think too much about-that's supposed to be their job. However, with thousands of medical errors taking place each year and about 80 percent of them going unreported, our involvement may be more important than we think. Despite how inadequate you may feel to probe or ask questions to medical professionals who endured an overwhelming vastness of medical terminology and procedures in school prior to entering the medical realm, new studies show that it can make a life or death difference.

A recent study released by the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services shows that a majority of hospital incident reporting systems do not capture most patient harm. When asked why an incident was not reported, many hospitals reasoned that an error or incident went unreported because: (1) staff did not perceive the incident as reportable (61 percent) or (2) staff commonly reports such incidents, but did not report it in this case (25 percent).

As with most hospital medical errors, many of the incidents found were easy to avoid. Some of the errors shown were overused or wrong medications, severe bedsores, hospital-based infections and even patient death.

Knapp & Roberts is committed to helping others stay safe and receive the best medical care by educating them on some simple steps to follow when entering a hospital, nursing home, or group home. Below is a list of some key things that should be done when you or a loved one enters a hospital:

1.) Do research. Although we'd like to believe that the medical staff will know what's wrong with you and will take care of you accordingly, that's not always the case. A simple search online will help you in knowing what they should be doing to care for you and will help you in ensuring it's getting done.

2.) Ask questions. If you have any questions, ask. It's best to clarify something you're confused about. That way, you are better informed in what's going on with yourself and you're better prepared to research the information you're being told to compare its accuracy.

3.) Get another opinion. There is no harm in getting more than one opinion. In fact, it can only help. If something feels weird or sounds strange to you after you've done step 1 and 2, getting another opinion is the best thing you can do.

Educating yourself is the most surefire way to avoid easily prevented medical errors. You may feel unqualified, but no one knows yours or your loved one's needs better than you do. Once the medical staff realizes that you are actively involved in helping to improve your health as much as they are, they will be taking extra precautionary steps to ensure quality care.

If you or your loved one has already fallen victim to a medical error, don't hesitate to report it and seek help. With so many medical errors going unreported, it allows the same problems to take place repeatedly. You can be the difference in avoiding another person enduring the same mistreatment you received. If you're unsure about your case and have any questions, reach out to Knapp & Roberts. We are committed to helping those who have endured medical mistreatment, and we have the experience and knowledge to help you or your loved one in taking the steps to ensure it doesn't happen to someone else. You can make a difference and we can help you in doing so.