Compensation for Hospital-Acquired Infections
Attending hospital in the hope of recovery from your condition, you do not expect to return home with an additional illness due to the quality of your care. However, hospital-acquired infections are fairly common and may sometimes justify a claim for compensation.
Healthcare-associated infections
A hospital or healthcare associated infection is an illness which the patient has developed as a result of their interaction with a healthcare environment. It may be caused by poor hygiene within the environment or a substandard level of care or risk assessment of vulnerable patients, or a failure to administer prophylactic antibiotics when they were necessary.
They include infections such as MRSA, Clostridium Difficile and E-coli.
The life-threatening infection, necrotising fasciitis, can also develop whilst a patient is in hospital if they did not receive antibiotics prior to surgery or their abdominal disorder was not diagnosed in time or a problem such as an abscess did not receive appropriate treatment.
According to analysis by The Nuffield Trust, the pattern of healthcare-associated infections has changed over the last decade. This has seen a reduction in the numbers of patients who have acquired either Clostridium Difficile or MRSA in a healthcare setting and an approximate plateauing in the number of patients acquiring the E-coli infection.
Nonetheless, hospital-acquired infections persist and, when the long-term impact on the patient is debilitating and significant, they may justify a claim for compensation.
The impact of an infection
An infection acquired during a hospital stay can devastate a person's life:
- An infection in a hip or knee replacement site can require additional surgery involving the removal of the new joint in order to resolve the infection. It may require yet more surgery to try to replace the joint a second time. The patient may suffer reduced mobility permanently as a result if the ultimate outcome of surgery is not satisfactory due to the impact of the infection.
- An infection such as Clostridium Difficile an cause severe bowel problems which can threaten the well-being of patients whose immune system is already weak, as may be the case for many hospital patients
- A necrotising soft-tissue infection which may develop after surgery can not only cause significant physical trauma to the patient but necessitate numerous traumatic surgical procedures and may result in amputation or even death.
Sepsis
Sepsis can develop when a person's immune system responds dysfunctionally to an infection elsewhere in the body. The sepsis over-response can cause a reduction in blood pressure which can, in turn, affect the amount of blood and, therefore, oxygen, being delivered to the body's major organs. Ultimately, this can cause multiple organ failure and the death of the patient.
Even when the patient survives sepsis, they may suffer in the long-term with fatigue, psychological trauma and the effects of damage to the body's organs.
Who's at risk of a hospital infection?
Typically, those patients most at risk of acquiring an infection whilst in hospital are those who are possibly least able to cope with it. These would include the following:
- The elderly
- The very young
- Patients with diabetes
- Patients who are obese
- Patients with other pre-existing conditions who might be suffering from a weakened immune system
- Patients who smoke or drink excessively
Patients in these groups require close attention and a high standard of care in order to preserve their health and well-being.
Medical negligence
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence has issued quality standards in relation to the prevention of infections in healthcare settings due to their 'serious risk to patients, staff and visitors'. It adds that 'infection prevention and control is a key priority for the NHS.'
Therefore, a failure to protect a patient from infection or a failure to recognise and treat the early symptoms of infection may not only cause illness and distress to the patient but may be regarded as negligent care.
If the patient suffers long-term disability as a result of such negligence, it may be possible to make a claim for compensation.
Speak to a solicitor
If you or a loved one are suffering the long-term effects of a significant failing in medical care, contact Glynns Solicitors to talk to a specialist medical negligence solicitor.
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