When someone enters a hospital, they are under the assumption that they will be treated in the most professional manner possible and that every effort will be taken to address the illness, injury or procedure. In a vast majority of instances, this is the case, and the patient leaves in better condition than before, or at least with the confidence that their condition was properly addressed and a satisfactory prognosis has been given.
Unfortunately, this is not always the case, as event by a recent incident at the Cooper University Hospital in Camden, New Jersey. According to a nurse, who was subsequently terminated in retaliation for speaking out about the hospital’s mistreatment of patients, the staff did not properly taking the necessary steps to prevent cross-contamination of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, also known as MRSA, and did not properly clean supplies. In addition, the nurse claims that the hospital neglected to inform nearby hospitals of MRSA and for the hospital to stop accepting newborn babies while the prenatal care area was infected.
The results of the hospital’s negligence in this instance was deadly, with at least two newborns dying from the outbreak and six others infected. Following the state’s inspection, it was confirmed that there were “several infection control deficiencies.”
Medical malpractice can take many forms, and the worst-case scenario in these instances is that the negligence leads to death, as was the case in this instance. Negligence that leads to a wrongful death can be incredibly traumatic for the victim of the lost loved one, and it is not uncommon for the family of a wrongful death victim to receive compensation related to the negligence that led to the tragedy.
Source: FindLaw, “Nurse’s Lawsuit Claims Hospital Tried to Cover up Deadly MRSA Outbreak,” By Christopher Coble, Jan. 17, 2017
