Tampa Hospital Negligence Attorney
Patients visit Tampa General Hospital, the Memorial Hospital, and other hospitals throughout the city every day to receive treatment for illnesses and injuries. Unfortunately, patients do not always receive the highest quality of care when they visit these facilities. Sometimes, doctors and other healthcare professionals are negligent and when that is the case, patients suffer even greater harm. Healthcare staff within a hospital can be held liable when they do not provide the standard quality of care, but medical malpractice claims are extremely complex. A Tampa hospital negligence attorney can give you the best chance of a successful outcome.
Common Types of Hospital Negligence in Tampa
The hospitals in Tampa are state-of-the-art facilities with some of the best technology. Still, too many hospital errors happen every year. Doctors and other healthcare professionals work very long hours and so, a mistake can easily occur. However, being overworked or tired is no excuse for negligence. Even an honest mistake can result in great harm, injury, or even death to a patient. Some of the most common types of hospital negligence include:
- Failure to treat an illness or infection
- Object left behind during surgery
- Improper use of a medical device
- Wrong-site surgery
- Failure to refer to a specialist
- Hospital infection
- Failure to order the correct tests
- Failure to stabilize a patient
- Failure to act appropriately in an emergency situation
- Drug overdose
- Failure to interpret an X-ray or lab test
- Treating the wrong patient
Unfortunately, while these are some of the most common types of hospital negligence, they are not the only mistakes that occur. Any time a patient is injured due to the negligence of healthcare professionals, it is imperative that they determine who is liable for their injuries.
Who is Liable for Hospital Negligence?
In most cases, when a paramedic, nurse, or medical technician makes a mistake that results in injury to a patient, the hospital can be held liable for it. These hospital workers are generally hired directly by the hospital. As such, the facility can be found liable for not properly training or supervising their staff, and for improper hiring practices.
Sometimes, healthcare professionals are under the direct supervision of a doctor. In some circumstances, when the nurse makes a mistake that injures patients, injured individuals can file a lawsuit against the doctor.
When doctors make mistakes that harm patients, the issue of liability becomes more complicated. Doctors are typically not considered employees of hospitals, but rather they are independent contractors. Patients are often asked to sign admission forms that acknowledge the doctor is not an employee of the hospital, therefore releasing the hospital from liability.
However, in other situations, such as in emergency rooms, there is not enough time to ask the doctor to sign forms before administering treatment. In this instance, the hospital may be held liable for the doctor’s actions.
Call Our Florida Medical Malpractice Attorney Today
If you were the victim of hospital negligence, our Tampa medical malpractice lawyer at Kohn Law is here to help. Attorney Kohn knows how devastating it is when medical professionals make mistakes, and will hold them accountable for their negligence. Call us today at (813) 428-8504 or fill out our online form to schedule a free consultation.
