Hospital negligence happens when a medical institution, through its employees and staff, fails to meet its duty of care to its patients. In Oregon and throughout the country, victims of hospital negligence suffer misdiagnoses, preventable infections, and even wrongful deaths due to the mistakes and errors committed by hospital personnel. This post will discuss examples of hospital negligence and situations when independent contractor status may change who a victim can sue in a hospital negligence or medical malpractice case. This post does not offer legal advice to its readers and any questions that arise from its contents should be asked of knowledgeable Oregon-based personal injury lawyers.
Understanding hospital negligence
Negligence happens when a party breaches its duty to someone else and fails to meet its standard of care. Just as negligence can apply to individual parties, it can also apply to institutions like hospitals. Through poor training, bad hiring, and dangerous standards of practice, hospitals can become harmful places where patients in search of healing suffer significant harm.
Hospital negligence can fall into many categories. As mentioned, misdiagnosis is a common problem that patients suffer in hospitals. Hospital negligence can look different, though. It can manifest in a patient not being treated properly because of discrimination, a patient suffering an illness because of unsanitary hospital conditions, or a patient being given the wrong medications because of negligent pharmaceutical procedures. Hospital negligence is widespread and can show up in many different hospital practices.
Addressing hospital negligence claims
When a patient suffers harm due to hospital negligence, they may wish to pursue their legal rights to compensation through litigation. They should understand, though, that some barriers may stand in their way. For example, if a medical practitioner who committed negligence is not employed by the hospital where the patient was treated, the patient may not be able to sue the hospital if that medical professional was an independent contractor. A personal injury lawyer can explain these and other nuances to their hospital negligence clients.
No patient should have to suffer due to the negligent practices of medical institutions. The law can help them protect their interests and be compensated for what has been taken from them. The first step toward recovery can be speaking with a trusted medical malpractice lawyer.