Most people checking into a hospital feel confident about their safety. They expect that the facility is clean, that the staff has received proper training and everyone is committed to keeping patients safe and healthy. The majority of people working in a hospital do want to help people, but such a desire to help may not be enough to prevent medical malpractice.
The Leapfrog Group, which is a nonprofit dedicated to improving health care in America, grades hospitals from A to F according to the quality and safety of the care they provide. The following section contains some of the factors the group uses to grade hospitals.
- Hand hygiene
- Physician and nurse communication
- Nursing workforce
- Foreign object retention
- Falls and trauma
- Air embolisms
- In-patient antibiotic-resistant Staphylococcus aureus infections
According to the group’s 2019 grades, Ohio ranks as eighth in the nation for the safest hospitals. Despite this good rating, patients can still suffer a preventable hospital-related injury, and medical malpractice claims still occur in the state. After all, there are bound to be some hospitals in Ohio that do not receive an A, B or even C rating.
The group also reports that hospitals with a D or F grading have a 92% greater risk of preventable death when compared with A-rated hospitals. Hospitals with a C grade have an 88% greater risk of avoidable deaths when compared with A-rated facilities.
How can you know whether the hospital you are entering is safe or unsafe? A little bit of research can go a long way as it is not difficult to find safety grades on the Internet. The research you do before your procedure can make all the difference to your well-being when checking out.
Ongoing oversight into the health care industry keeps doctors, nurses and other staff members on their toes. Those who suffer harm or lose a loved one to preventable hospital injuries can help organizations like the Leapfrog Group provide accurate grades by calling attention to malpractice. One way to do this is by filing a medical malpractice claim with guidance from a lawyer.