Infections in Medical Settings

It is an unfortunate fact of life that any medical setting present the opportunity for the development and progression of infections.  However, under certain circumstances, a hospital or other medical facility and its workers can be held subject to civil liability for medical negligence for exposing a patient to an infection or ignoring the signs of progression of the infection.

One such circumstance that exposes patients to the risk of infection involves the use of medical equipment known as reusable medical scopes.  Some studies indicate that, even after they are cleaned according to the facility’s standards, approximately 71% of these scopes test positive for bacteria.  This is extremely problematic for a number of reasons, including the increase in superbug outbreaks and the predisposition to illness of patients undergoing many of the procedures using these scopes.

For someone interested in pursuing a medical negligence case against hospital or medical facility related to the development of an infection, it will be extremely important to obtain the medical records of the hospital/facility stay, as well as for any aftercare that took place.  It is further helpful to know the name of the specific infection that was acquired, and the results of any cultures that were tested.