Ohio Medical Malpractice: Hospitals Not Diligent with Reporting Adverse Events April 27, 2012.
If you or a loved one has been the victim of medical malpractice in Ohio, you’re not alone. According to the New York Times, ongoing studies show that hospitals have a long way to go before they are thorough enough at reporting and addressing adverse events and physician error.
Medical malpractice can happen when a physician makes an error when treating a patient. Sometimes these errors lead to harm of the patient and the negative outcome is called an "adverse event."
These events can range from incorrect prescriptions, surgical mishaps, misdiagnoses, patient neglect, bedsores, infections and more, including errors that even lead to a patient’s death.
Reasons for staff not reporting these mistakes include the following:
- they feel someone else will do it;
- they feel that the problem was not important enough to warrant reporting;
- in some cases, staff may not recognize what constitutes patient harm; and
- unfortunately, some staff members are afraid to report incidents because they do not want to be singled out as the whistle-blower or put their jobs at risk.
Even in situations where a staff member does report an adverse event, hospitals do not always investigate the problems or make changes that could help prevent such errors from happening again and again.
Contacting an Ohio Medical Malpractice Attorney
A doctor’s mistake can change your life forever. If you’re sick or injured because of a doctor’s mistake, call Mellino Law Firm at (440) 333-3800. Our experienced legal team will fight for you to get the compensation you deserve.
