Bittersweet Results From Med Malpractice Study Of Minn Hospitals
A study by the Minnesota Heath Department shows that Minnesota hospitals’ fatal medical malpractice statistics have improved in the past year, dropping the numbers of medical malpractice related deaths from 18 in 2008 to just 4 in 2009. This is the lowest number since records on these statistics were compiled, starting in 2005. That said, serious injuries and non-lethal mistakes to patients have increased in Minnesota hospitals.
So the question is, what do you think about a hospital that has gotten better at avoiding mistakes that lead to wrongful death but worse at avoiding non-lethal medical malpractice injuries?
Our firm’s San Diego personal injury attorneys are aware that even with the improvements, doctors may make mistakes — doctors are only human after all. While fatalities related to medical malpractice and negligence is down significantly in Minnesota, medical errors have increased. Namely, these errors are “never-events”, medical industry lingo for things that should supposedly never happen (i.e. wrong surgery or surgery on the wrong patient), but state health department’s study found 301 of these mistakes happened in Minnesota hospitals last year.
Patients suffered physical disabilities and received permanent scars from doctors leaving foreign objects in the body after surgeries. Of all the “adverse events” that happened under the care of Minnesota hospital employees, there were 122 instances of bedsores that were left unchecked and unattended. While slip and fall accidents – a big problem for these mid-west facilities – went down drastically, there were close to 100 personal injury claims from those who had medical treatment done in Minnesota hospitals.
Our personal injury attorneys in San Diego believe that almost every doctor or nurse means well. They want to help people – not hurt them. This study, while positive in the way that it shows how the number of wrongful deaths is decreasing, also documents how you are not alone with your pain. If you have been personally injured while under the care and supervision of a physician, just know that you don’t have suffer alone.
If you or a loved one have been injured because of someone else’s negligence, then we urge you to contact our bilingual offices as soon as possible at 1-800-655-6585 or please click here for a free consultation with an experienced personal injury attorney. We handle all cases on a contingency fee basis, which means that you owe us nothing until we recover money on your behalf.
YOUR TAKE
What do you think about the results of this study – are we making progress in the fight against medical malpractice when medical errors increase but wrongful deaths decrease? What’s your take?
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