Hospital Infections

When a person is admitted to a hospital after suffering serious injuries in a car accident, he or she might experience further complications after developing an infection. Although hospitals are supposed to take precautions to ensure that patients are protected from infections, some patients nevertheless get infected during their hospital stays. Some of the common infections include staph infections, urinary tract infections, pneumonia, and even bacterial meningitis.
Infections picked up at a hospital after admission for an unrelated condition are sometimes referred to as healthcare associated infections. These infections can be contracted due to a condition that the patient already has, may be a result of improper sterilization of medical tools, or from bacteria and fungi transferred from medical staff. Infections contracted in a hospital can also be more difficult to treat because they may be resistant to medicine that would be used to treat regular infections.
Healthcare associated infections can cause serious injuries and in some cases cause death. A person who suffers a healthcare associated infection can seek compensation in a medical malpractice lawsuit. As with any other medical malpractice lawsuit, the person seeking compensation has to prove that the hospital or members of the medical team provided a level of care that was below an established medical standard of care. In addition, the person must prove that the substandard care provided by the hospital led to his or her infection.
Generally, hospital procedures are analyzed to spot any areas in which the hospital failed to take steps to ensure that patients were protected from developing certain infections. However, the patient’s medical records may also be reviewed to establish when the patient was infected and whether the infection was a result of the hospital’s negligence or the patient’s negligence.
A patient may be responsible for contracting an infection, for example, if he or she failed to follow medical advice on how to care for wounds following a hospital stay. However, even if the patient was partially responsible for contracting an infection, he or she may still be able to recover compensation as long as he or she was less than 50% responsible.
The question of liability can get complicated if, for example, a person is seriously injured in a car accident caused by a negligent driver and, upon admission to the hospital, suffers an infection that makes his condition worse. In such a case, a court would have to decide whether the driver who caused the accident is liable for all the victim’s injuries including the infection from the hospital. Alternatively, the negligent driver and the hospital and its staff members may be found jointly liable for the victim’s injuries.
Contact an Experienced Attorney for More Information
If you contracted a serious infection or illness after being admitted to a hospital, you do not have to chalk it off as an unavoidable consequence of a hospital stay. You may be able to receive compensation from the hospital or other medical personnel responsible for causing your infection. To learn more about how you can file a claim, contact an experienced medical malpractice attorney in Atlanta, Georgia, at Jonathan R. Brockman, P.C., today.