“Never Events” in Hospitals

“Never Events” in Hospitals

We rely upon hospitals and medical professionals to care for us when we’re injured or ill. When—instead of receiving the care we need—we are injured further while in the hospital, it is especially devastating. In fact, there are certain kinds of medical malpractice (known as never events) that, put simply, should never happen BUT sometimes do. If you’ve been injured in a hospital never event, you need an experienced New London, Connecticut, medical malpractice lawyer.

Medical Malpractice and Never Events

Any failure by medical professionals to provide accepted normative treatment that subsequently causes the patient to be injured is considered medical malpractice. When the malpractice refers to a specific kind of event that should never happen, it’s called a never event or a sentinel event. These events include such egregious errors as operating on the wrong patient, performing the wrong surgery on a patient, and operating on the wrong body part of a patient. While such brash mistakes don’t happen often, they do happen, and they are especially dangerous and damaging—physically, financially, and emotionally. A recent five-year period in Connecticut resulted in 1,855 adverse action reports and 875 medical malpractice payment reports—145 of which resulted in payments of $1 million or more.

Breakdown in Protocol

When a never event occurs in a hospital, it’s a strong indicator that the healthcare facility is experiencing a breakdown in the checks and balances that every hospital is responsible for maintaining. The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) finds that wrong-procedure, wrong-patient, wrong-site errors are typically caused by a breakdown in the lines of communication on the path to surgery. This breakdown can occur at nearly any juncture—from the initial consultation to the surgery itself. In other words, responsibility may lie with any number of medical professionals and with the medical institution itself.

Your Damages

Any medical malpractice amounts to a difficult situation, but never events are devastating. Not only did doctors not treat you for the medical condition for which you sought help, but you’ve also endured—and must recover from and suffer the side effects of—a procedure you didn’t need in the first place. The emotional consequences alone are overwhelming. After all, you placed your trust in a medical system that failed you outright. The physical and financial damages are also typically immense. All told the damages associated with medical never events are so extensive that they are nearly incalculable. If you’re the victim of a hospital never event, seek the experienced legal guidance of a medical malpractice attorney.

If a Hospital Never Event Has Left You or a Loved One Injured, Consult with a New London Medical Malpractice Attorney Today

When you’re in need of hospitalization, you are obviously at your most vulnerable, and if that hospitalization leads to a never event, you are no doubt overwhelmed and is in need of skilled legal counsel. The dedicated medical malpractice attorneys at Polito & Harrington, LLC, in New London, Connecticut, have the experience, skill, and compassion to aggressively advocate for the compensation you need and to which you are entitled. Your case is important, and we’re here to help. Please contact or call us at (860) 447-3300 for a free consultation and case evaluation today.