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Hospital-acquired infections and legal claims

 

https://www.medlegal360.com/hospital-acquired-infection/

When hospitals become the breeding grounds for infections, there arise medical malpractice lawsuits. Mainly patients in hospital wards and intensive care units (ICUs) may contract Hospital-Acquired Infections (HAIS). If uncared, hospital-acquired infections can lead to loss of life. Along with that, it will add lengthy hospital stays, emotional distress, additional hospital expenses, medical malpractice lawsuits, and a financial burden on the medical care facilities and the government.

A Hospital-Acquired Infection or Healthcare-Associated Infection happens when an individual contracts an infection within 48 to 72 hours of being hospitalized, according to the NCBI. Around 1.7 million people are infected with HAIs and approximately 99,000 people lose their lives to them in the U.S every year. These nosocomial infections can be caused by bacteria, viruses, and fungi.

The most dangerous hospital-acquired infections are as follows:

•                    Catheter-Associated Urinary Tract Infections (CAUTI)

•                    Central Line-Associated Bloodstream Infections (CLABSI)

•                    Surgical Site Infections (SSI)

•                    Ventilator-Associated Pneumonia (VAP)

•                    Hospital-Acquired Pneumonia (HAP)

•                    Clostridium Difficile Infections (CDI)

•                    Septic shock

Though most hospitals follow their own sanitation-related protocols, sometimes, infections can occur due to the negligence of the healthcare providers or the patients. If it is proved that the healthcare professionals’ carelessness caused the health complications or death to the patients, the patients or their families can proceed with a medical malpractice lawsuit or wrongful death claim.

To prove the negligence in a medical malpractice claim, you should have proper medical documentation to point out the medical error that occurred on the part of the healthcare facility. Expert witness statements can boost your claim against the facility.

In hospitals and clinics, infections acquired in the healthcare setting are not uncommon. Early detection and management of hospital-acquired infections can help to prevent them. The most common causes of hospital-acquired infections are patients' failure to maintain personal hygiene, unsanitary conditions in and around the facility, and staff failed to provide the standard of care.

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