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Medical Malpractice

• The State of Medical Malpractice in Virginia

The State of Medical Malpractice in Virginia

When we go to the doctor, we fully expect to be treated well and with the greatest of expertise. We don’t expect mistakes, misdiagnoses, maltreatment, or negligence. After all, these are our lives at stake, and the doctors we trust are supposed to be experts in their fields. Unfortunately, mistakes and negligence seems to be exactly what many Americans receive from their doctors across the country. According to “To Err is Human” by the Institute of Medicine, at least 44,000 and perhaps as many as 98,000 people die from medical malpractice each year. Beyond the costs in lives, malpractice can cost from $17 to $29 billion annually in hospitals across the nation. “Errors are also costly in terms of loss of trust in the health care system by patients and diminished satisfaction by both patients and health professionals.” The lack of trust significantly reduces the patient-doctor relationship which is so vital to high-quality health care.

Malpractice is not always intentional or caused by willful neglect. Recently, there have been outbreaks of anti-biotic resistant bacteria, including drug-resistant strains of bacteria such as M.R.S.A. (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus). These bacteria can cause a staph infection through an open wound. Doctors or other patients can be carriers without symptoms, and they may unknowingly transfer the bacteria to a more susceptible patient by simply leaning over the susceptible patient or by using a basic piece of equipment such as a blood pressure cuff on multiple patients. Unfortunately, sixty percent of staph infections are now drug-resistant, compared to two percent in 1974.

On the other hand, some doctors’ and residents’ actions seem to encourage injuries and mishaps. In one study, 87% of emergency medicine residents consumed alcohol within the last year; 74% of surgery residents consumed alcohol within the past 30 days. There’s nothing inherently wrong with that; after all, all adults are entitled to drink a glass of wine or take a shot during their time off. But at least 13% were actually impaired during their work at a hospital. Residents and doctors also work ridiculously long hours, sometimes remaining on-call without sleep for 37.6 hours at a time. Most reported sleep deprivation, which can lead to poor coordination, mistakes, or other problems.

Negligence can also occur outside the hospital setting. In Assisted Living homes in Virginia, for example, practitioners often fail to adequately watch their elderly patients, resulting in deaths from choking, exposure, falls, and automobile accidents. Sunrise Senior Living, a chain of assisted living facilities across the country with 27 based in Virginia, advertises careful supervision, a stimulating environment, and security systems but has received at least 80 violations between 2000 and 2004. The problems at these facilities are referred to as “very bad, high risk and inexcusable.”

Between 1990 and 2002, according to a study done by the Bureau of Health Professions, 2,584 instances of medical malpractice were granted to Virginians against physicians; 465 against dentists. No matter how good the hospitals are in the Northern Virginia area, the possibility exists that you too could suffer some devastating injuries in the hands of a doctor. Thomas Robl can offer you the same sort of assistance and peace of mind those 3,000 individuals found. Please call 703-777-6787 for a consultation if you or someone you know has been treated negligently by the medical community.

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