Hospital Acquired Infections: Why They Are Medical Malpractice

A hospital acquired infection, or HAI, is just what it sounds like.  This is when a patient contracts an infection which in a hospital.  The longer the duration of the hospital stay, and the more pervasive/invasive the treatment, the more likely that a patient may develop an infection.  Contracting and the definition of a HAI is more or less common sense.

But what is not common sense is the number of these infections and how they are caused.  How many times have you been near a hospital and seen a line of white coasts smoking outside.  Or in public places like restaurants or other places.  These providers then go back inside the hospital and continue to treat patients, despite having soiled their white costs and clothing with tobacco smoke and other outside germs.  While it is true that just walking around the hospital these providers will accumulate germs on them, healthcare providers are supposed to be following sterile protocol and the most germs and soil from the outside world brought in, the higher the risk for patients there is.

It is important to mitigate and lower the risk to patients the best that a healthcare provider can do.  This is because HAI are particularly dangerous because many times they are resistant to medications.  This means that the infection may only be controlled by providing support to patients like fluids and pain control, while the infection runs its course because dying.  This is a dangerous cycle.

Thus, when a patient contracts a HAI, it is likely a breach of the standard of care and it is likely due to poor sterile protocol by the healthcare providers.  Patients should NOT go into a hospital and leave with an infection they did not have.  Even worse, patients should NOT go into a hospital and die from an infection they received in the hospital.

But what do you think?  I would love to hear from you!  Leave a comment or I also welcome your phone call on my toll-free cell at 1-866-889-6882 or you can drop me an e-mail at jfisher@fishermalpracticelaw.com.  You are always welcome to request my FREE book, The Seven Deadly Mistakes of Malpractice Victims, at the home page of my website at www.protectingpatientrights.com.