Surprisingly, 5% of hospital patients get an infection and hospital infections are the fourth largest cause of death in the United States. In fact, approximately two million Americans a year get an infection while admitted to a hospital and over one hundred thousand of them die. Many infections acquired in hospitals can be prevented. Intravenous catheter procedure, implementation of best practices prior to surgery, and improved hygiene practices can reduce risk of infection substantially.

Infections can cause a simple medical condition to become much more severe or serious condition to become life threatening. Thus, when a patient contracts an infection in the hospital, it is necessary to examine the underlying medical condition, patient risk for contracting infection, steps the hospital took to reduce infection. Cases that involve infection must be investigated in great detail. First, you need to determine whether the hospital had a proper plan. Next, did the healthcare providers in the hospital follow procedure i.e. administering antibiotics and sterilization procedure. A hospital may not be found to be negligent for development of infection in a patient, but it is possible that the hospital is at fault for not diagnosing and treating the infection in a timely manner.

To prove hospital malpractice for contraction of infection, it must be determined that the hospital lacked an adequate plan for control of infection or did not follow the plan if one existed. In addition, any error that the hospital committed must be one in which other hospitals with properly implemented infection control plans would not commit.

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Related practice areas: Nursing Home Abuse, Hospital Infections