October 3, 2020
When you seek medical diagnosis or treatment from an Illinois doctor, you have a right to receive high-quality care in accordance with state regulations and accepted safety standards of the medical industry. If a so-called “never event” occurs, you might suffer serious illness or injury. A never event is an incident that occurs because of gross medical error or negligence.
Never events are named thus because they should never happen. Sadly, they do, and many such incidents result in injuries or fatalities. If you suffer an injury or illness because a licensed medical professional failed in his or her duty to keep you safe, you could wind up in worse condition than you were in when you first sought medical care.
Never events can occur in these departments
When you receive medical care, you may interact with or receive treatment from numerous people, not just one physician. This is especially true you are undergoing surgery. The following list shows the types of departments in which never events often occur:
- Radiology
- Surgical
- Procedural
- Device or products
- Medication/pharmacy
- Environmental
- Patient protection
- Care management
You need to interact with or receive treatment from multiple people in one or more of these departments. This list is not extensive by any means, and there are numerous other ways or categories under which a never event might occur. For instance, a criminal offense could take place while you are under the care of a physician or hospital.
Most common types of never events
If you have surgery, it might be necessary for you to undergo sedation. While unconscious, you have no way of knowing whether surgeons, nurses, operating room technicians, and others are doing what they are supposed to do to provide for your care and safety.
Surgical errors are among the most common types of never events that occur in Illinois hospitals. From operating on the wrong body part to leaving foreign objects inside a patient, such negligence ranks high on most lists of things that shouldn’t happen in a hospital, but, sadly, they do all too often.
Nurses must follow protocol when administering medication
If your doctor or surgeon recommends a specific drug or medication to help you recover from surgery or to treat a medical condition, you rely on care providers to make sure you get the right medication. A nurse administering medication to you must double-check that you are the correct patient and check to make sure it’s the right medication and the proper dosage.
The means by which you receive medication may have a significant impact on your condition as well. Perhaps you’re supposed to receive a particular drug by mouth or another drug in a liquid form instead of a pill. Such issues are important, and nurses must carefully review your medical records and doctors’ orders to avoid errors.
If a personal injury occurs because of a never event
It is a tragedy when licensed medical professionals cause injuries to patients in incidents that should be preventable were it not for negligence. If you became ill or suffered an injury because of a never event, you might wind up needing even more medical care, which would undoubtedly cause you worry and concern.
It is understandable that you would reach out for additional support from a patient advocate at the hospital. Many medical malpractice victims also contact legal professionals to help them seek restitution from those who caused their injuries.
