A recent report compiled by the Dallas Morning News looked at certain safety indicators in order to determine which indicators led to deterioration of safety within hospitals. The report also studied the consequences of hospital privatization on patient health. What did the report find?
Public Hospitals in Texas May Not Be As Safe. The report found that hospital patients were more 370 percent more likely to develop complications, increasing their risk of death, than those of non-public hospitals, such as Dallas Regional Medical Center. The report cited a relaxed attitude toward patient safety as the main factor attributed to the risk of preventable death arising from complications such as bedsores, pneumonia, hemorrhages, and blood clots.
All of these risk factors are significantly decreased if proper safety systems are in place, according to the report. Extensive Research. The cited report studied more than 6 million records obtained from more than 300 hospitals in Texas. The study utilized state of the art software to comb through data linked to patient outcomes as well as complications that are generally considered to be preventable by medical researchers.
The report found that the risk of patient death attributed to preventable complication was greater in public hospitals. There are many factors that put patient safety at risk, including staffing problems, and accountability for staff that fail to adhere to safety guidelines, including doctors.
Accountability Is Key. Both hospitals and medical personnel, including doctors, need to be held accountable. However, it’s not always easy holding doctors accountable for their actions because doctors often omit important information from the patient’s health chart. In fact, hospitals may even train doctors and staff what to say, and what not to say in patient charts in order to avoid liability should complications arise.
It’s important for patients to know that they have the right to launch an investigation into complications to find out exactly what happened, and who is to blame.
Because many complications that lead to serious injury or death are avoidable, it’s important to know the facts of your particular case.
Getting the Help You Need. Because neither hospitals, nor medical professionals, want to admit their mistakes, they will often deny any wrongdoing, even when it’s glaringly obvious that either they, or the hospital was at fault in causing complications, especially when such complications lead to death.
Therefore, in Texas, if you’ve been the victim of medical malpractice your only productive choice is to contact an aggressive San Antonio medical malpractice lawyer that handles Texas medical malpractice lawsuits to help you hold those responsible accountable for your injuries that arose out of the negligence of a hospital or medical professional.
Contact the legal team at Barrus Injury Lawyers for a free consultation today.
