Patients can suffer great harm during “never events”

A “never event” in the medical field is one that shouldn’t happen to patients because it can be prevented if the medical team would use proper protocol during a procedure. Unfortunately, there are times when patients do suffer harm from a never event. These individuals might choose to hold the medical team and other liable parties accountable for their part in the incident.

Never events can occur at any point during an admission for a surgery. Before the procedure, it can be because the medical staff members don’t take the time to ensure they have the right patient. They might not verify that the person doesn’t have any medical issues that might be contraindicated for the surgery. Failure to verify medications the person took is another problem.

During the procedure, never events are things like leaving objects in the patient or doing the surgery on the wrong body part. These can be prevented by taking a timeout before the procedure starts and having a system to ensure that everything that was used in the procedure is accounted for before the patient is sutured up after the surgery.

One of the primary issues that comes from never events is that the patient will often need to have more medical care to address the problem. This could mean intensive or evasive procedures, which can lead to time off work. The increase in care costs and the loss of income can have a tragic impact on the victims. Seeking compensation enables them to try to shift the financial liable to the negligent parties who caused the situation to occur.