Many patients inquire about potential malpractice claims arising from hospital stays that result in a patient developing an infection while in the hospital. Hospitals by the very nature of the work performed are areas of potential infections. In examining a case of malpractice relating to contracting an infection, it is necessary to cautiously and thoroughly investigate the facts specific to the patients hospital stay.

Many times, infections can cause an otherwise difficult medical condition to become much more difficult, and even result in death of a patient. Thus, when an infection is contracted it is necessary to examine the reason for the hospital stay in the first place, the risk of contracting an infection for that type of patient, and the steps taken by the hospital to reduce exposure to infectious agents. Infection cases must be thoroughly investigated to determine whether the hospital had a plan, whether healthcare providers in the hospital followed the plan, whether physicians were properly monitoring the use and administration of antibiotics, whether sterilization procedures were properly followed, and whether some other explanation exists. There can be times when the hospital is not negligent for the patient developing an infection, however they can be at fault for not quickly diagnosing and treating the infection.

In order to prove that malpractice caused or contributed to a hospital infection you need to establish an error committed in the plan to reduce infection exposure; the error must have been one that a reasonable hospital would not have committed (in other words, a reasonable hospital would have made sure the infection plan was in force); and, the error must have been the cause of the resulting damages or injuries.

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