What is Considered to be Hospital Negligence in New Hampshire?
Medical malpractice laws hold doctors and their staff accountable for mistakes made that cause harm to patients. In some cases a victim may even hold a hospital responsible for their injuries. Hospital malpractice is very similar to medical malpractice only it involves claiming the hospital was to blame for the injury instead of the individual staff member.
Under New Hampshire law a patient who is injured due to hospital negligence is entitled to seek compensation for their injuries. A party that suffers injury can request money to compensate them for their medical bills, lost wages from missed work and pain and suffering. In many cases, even a minor hospital error can lead to serious side effects including death.
Proving Hospital Negligence in New Hampshire
For any type of met malpractice case for things must be established:
- The patient was owed a duty by the hospital position
- A standard of care was set and the hospital or physician violated that standard
- The patient was injured in a way that caused them compensable harm
- The harm was caused because of the hospital or physician violating the standard of care
To show that a hospital violated the standard of care, often the victim needs to show that it was negligent. Negligence is a term used to describe an error that occurs when some party fails to do what they were supposed to do or makes an error which leads directly to injury. A victim must prove that a hospital was negligent in order to succeed in their hospital malpractice case. Hospital negligence can occur in many ways including:
- Improper documentation or record-keeping of patients
- Improper patient care
- Administration of the wrong drug or the wrong dose
- Employing improperly credentialed independent contractors
- Patient abuse or neglect
These are just a few of the ways that a hospital can be negligent. Any error that a hospital employee or staff commits that leads to pain and suffering or injury can be grounds for a hospital negligence case.
New Hampshire Hospital Malpractice Law
A victim can claim hospital malpractice if they suffer due to the negligence of any party associated with the hospital. This can include any of the following examples:
- A nurse administering incorrect medication
- Staff not following the doctor's treatment plan
- Overly medicating a patient
- Allowing incisions or wounds to become infected
- A Surgeon making an error such as leaving a foreign object inside of a patient
- Performing the wrong surgical procedure on a patient or on the wrong side of the patient
If you or a love one have suffered due to a medical malpractice case while in the hospital, you may be a victim of hospital negligence. For more information about hospital negligence in New Hampshire and what kind of compensation you may be entitled to, call our office right away. Hiring a personal injury attorney is the best way to make sure that you are treated fairly and that you receive all the compensation that you deserve. Call us now to get started.
