Critical errors commonly made by U.S. hospitals

New Jersey patients may be affected some of the dangerous mistakes that hospitals routinely make across the country. Research suggests that as many as 440,000 deaths in the U.S. each year are potentially attributable to errors made by U.S. hospitals. These errors may be considered to be the third leading cause of U.S. deaths each year, trailing only heart disease and cancer.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that over 700,000 people acquire hospital infections every year, and over 10 percent of the infections turn out to be fatal. Many of the incidents occurring at these hospitals are preventable and could have been avoided by exercising more prudence. The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality found that approximately 1 million hospitalized people are injured in falls each year, and over 30 percent of these incidents are avoidable.

The rate of broken bones and internal injuries resulting from these accidents suggests that many hospitals may not be proactive enough in their efforts to reduce the risks of preventable hazards or errors from occurring. Some of the other critical errors endangering patients’ health each year include the misuse of antibiotics, medication errors, too much bed rest and a haphazard discharge process that leads to 20 percent of U.S. patients being readmitted within 30 days.

A patient who has been the victim of hospital negligence might be forced to incur additional medical expenses and miss work for prolonged periods of time. A medical malpractice attorney can review the patient’s hospital records and obtain the opinion of medical experts in order to determine whether or not there was a failure to supply the requisite standard of care.