Here at Kampf, Schiavone, & Associates, we’ve assisted several San Bernardino residents who’ve suffered complications following surgical procedures. If your post-operative problem happens to be an infection, you may need to determine whether or not it was acquired during your hospital stay. According to information gathered by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and shared by Reuters, 4 percent of all patients will end up with a hospital-acquired infection. If you’re infection was due to the negligence of hospital staff, you may have a case to pursue compensation.
Hospital-acquired infections can include pneumonia, MRSA, and surgical site or urinary tract infections. Healthcare personnel may claim that any infections acquired in a clinical setting are unavoidable. Yet at the same time, your hospital caretakers are expected to follow certain infection control protocols. These include:
- Washing their hands before and after examining, treating, and/or assisting you.
- Ensuring that catheters and IV ports are not left in place any longer than they should be.
- Carefully checking any surgical incisions or wounds and cleaning them as needed.
- Summoning the housekeeping and/or environmental services staff frequently enough to maintain a clean, sterile environment.
Your expectations for the level preventative care you receive while hospitalized may differ than those of the clinicians who cared for you. Often, if you do choose to make a claim against them, your lack of clinical knowledge may be used against you. Thus, if you suspect the levels of infection control that you experienced were not sufficient, you may want to share the details of your stay with your primary care physician. He or she may then be able to confirm that poor care may have led to your current condition.
To find more information on pursuing compensation follow post-op complications, continue exploring our site.
