Large Number of Child Deaths After Emergency Room Visits Could Easily Be Prevented, New Study Finds
MANHATTAN, NEW YORK (November 15, 2024) – A new study published in JAMA Open Network has estimated that roughly 1 in 4 childhood deaths after ER visits are preventable.
According to the study, the deaths could be prevented in hospital emergency rooms that adopted features of ‘pediatric readiness.’ In other words, if every emergency room in the U.S. were better prepared to treat children, thousands of lives could be saved.
Researchers have estimated that the cost to save each child’s life would be around $11.84. or less. Some of the measures that can be put in place are teaching healthcare providers resuscitation techniques.
Other measures include establishing protocols and techniques for youth-specific care. Most of the resources needed to properly care for children are already at most hospitals.
The presence of a hospital checklist can make all the difference in the world. They are both cheap and effective.
Liability For New York Hospital Deaths
Medical errors remain one of the leading causes of preventable injuries and death in the United States. According to the CNBC, “A recent Johns Hopkins study claims more than 250,000 people in the U.S. die every year from medical errors. Other reports claim the numbers to be as high as 440,000. Medical errors are the third-leading cause of death after heart disease and cancer.” There are a number of factors that contribute to these deaths.
- Poor communication between healthcare workers can jeopardize patients.
- Understaffing or overworked staff can lead to fatigue and decreased focus.
- Misreading prescriptions or poor labeling of drugs has contributed to many deaths.
- Misdiagnosis or failure to diagnose can lead certain medical conditions to become much more dangerous or life-threatening.
When a hospital injures a patient through their negligent actions, this could be considered malpractice. Medical malpractice occurs when a patient is injured or killed by a doctor or hospital’s deviation from the applicable standard of care. There is no single standard of care for any health-care field. However, a doctor’s or hospital’s standard of care is met when a doctor or hospital with an equivalent skill set would have followed the same procedures and guidelines under identical circumstances. A hospital may have failed to properly care for a patient in several different ways.
- Doctors may make surgical errors, including leaving surgical instruments in a patient’s body.
- Healthcare workers may have failed to follow established protocols.
- Healthcare workers may fail to monitor a patient or ignore signs that they are in distress.
Hospital deaths are often highly preventable. Part of the problem is that many doctors and healthcare providers fail to follow established protocols. For example, something as simple as routinely disinfecting IV needles can save thousands of lives. But healthcare workers can get into routines where they neglect the basics. The family of any child injured due to medical malpractice may be able to seek some measure of justice through a civil claim.
Getting Legal Help For New York Hospital Deaths
We at Gersowitz Libo & Korek, P.C. extend our deepest condolences to all of the families who may have lost children due to medical errors. It is our sincere hope that hospitals will implement many of the common sense methods to prevent these deaths. It is unacceptable that any family would lose a child due to an easily preventable hospital mistake.
Have you or someone that you care about been injured by a medical error? You may have legal recourse. Our team of personal injury attorneys is here for you. We care deeply that accident victims are aware of their rights and that those rights are being protected. Whether you just have legal questions or need any type of support, we are here for you. You can reach out to us anytime at (516) 908-9792.
