When you are injured or taken ill, it is sensible to check in at the hospital so you can receive the treatment you need to get back on your feet. And most often, this is what happens. But what happens if things do not go to plan and your hospital visit leads to further injuries or, worse still, your loved one’s death?
If you sustain injuries, or if your loved one’s death is attributable to negligence, you may be eligible for financial restitution through a medical malpractice claim. But when exactly is the hospital, and not the doctor who treated you, responsible for your injuries?
Here are two questions that can help you establish hospital negligence during a medical malpractice claim:
Is the facility understaffed?
There is no doubt that there is an acute shortage of qualified healthcare professionals throughout the country. But hospitals sometimes operate as businesses too. While this is the primary contributor to hospital understaffing, some hospitals deliberately keep a low workforce to maximize their profit margins.
An understaffed hospital means a higher doctor-to-patient ratio. Consequently, this leads to overstretched hospital workers. And overstretched healthcare providers are at a greater risk of making costly mistakes. If you have evidence that the hospital is deliberately understaffed, and that this led to doctor or nurse mistakes that resulted in your injuries, then you might have a case against the hospital.
Have they hired unqualified staff?
An unqualified or incompetent staff is a danger to self, co-workers are well as clients. As far as the hospital setting goes, an unqualified healthcare provider can pose a serious danger to patients’ well-being. If the hospital deliberately hires and retains unqualified or unlicensed healthcare providers, who consequently cause injuries to patients by offering substandard care, then the hospital can be sued for damages.
Medical malpractice can have terrible consequences. If you or someone you love is a victim of hospital malpractice, you need to explore your legal options so you can hold the facility liable.
