When you are in the hospital, you assume that the care you are receiving meets a certain standard. You trust your doctors, nurses and the techs to provide you with support, treatment, and to take care of your needs while you are unable to care for yourself. It can be devastating to learn that the ones who are supposed to be supporting your journey to better health have actually harmed your physical well-being through some type of mistake.
Whether it is through a direct medical error or negligence, you can suffer great harm while under the care of medical professionals. This may leave you in physical pain and with significant medical needs, but you do not have to navigate this complicated process alone. You might have grounds to seek compensation through a medical malpractice claim.
Before, during and after surgery
One of the most common reasons for hospital admittance is a surgical procedure. Whether it is a minor outpatient surgery or major surgical intervention for a serious medical need, doctors and other care providers must take every precaution before, during and after the procedure to ensure that you do not suffer unnecessary harm. There are safety techniques, checklists and many other standards in place to prevent patient harm, but mistakes still happen. To lower the chance of a surgical error or post-surgery complication, hospitals may do the following:
- Carefully identify the patient and match you with the correct procedures. Staff should also ask you to identify yourself and confirm why you are there, as well as discuss what you should expect.
- Surgeons and supporting staff should only proceed after careful safety checks to ensure the patient can handle the surgery, the right equipment is available and that each person understands the correct location of the surgery.
- After surgery, it is critical to provide a clean environment, the proper medication and regular bandage changing in order to prevent an infection.
If you believe that your continued physical suffering and ongoing medical needs are the result of a medical error or negligence of any kind, you have the right to speak up. A medical malpractice claim allows you to seek justice for what you experienced and hold the responsible parties accountable. An evaluation of your situation may provide an understanding of the legal options available to you through the Illinois civil justice system.