Florida Accident Attorney Blog

Florida medical negligence and medical malpractice attorneys often reference the landmark report To Err Is Human by the Institute of Medicine. That report and others released in the late 1990s brought attention to preventable medical errors that occurred in our nation's hospitals, clinics, and other healthcare facilities.

A few years after To Err Is Human was published, the journal Pediatrics published a study looking at infant and child patient safety in U.S. hospitals. The study, published in 2004, found that...

"…patient safety events for hospitalized children in 2000 occurred in high numbers and that these events have significant associations with increased LOS [length of stay], total charges, and risk of in-hospital mortality even after adjusting for patient severity of illness."

As experienced Fort Lauderdale FL child birth injury lawyers, we are aware of the risks of certain types of childbirth delivery situations. For example, some mothers are at greater risk for difficult delivery (e.g., those who are obese, have diabetes, are carrying large babies, and/or who have had difficult childbirth experiences in the past, including the need for Cesarean section birth). If the pediatrician, nurses, and other medical staff fail to apply the proper delivery techniques and care during childbirth, and/or if "excessive force" is used during delivery -- the baby can be born with serious birth injuries, including Erb's Palsy paralysis.

The Pediatrics study found that very young patients and those whose families rely on Medicaid insurance were vulnerable in regards to patient safety in hospitals. Birth trauma were among the events examined in the study, including vaginal birth with and without the aid of instrumentation (see our resources below for more discussion on birthing techniques and "difficult delivery"). The study also found that birth trauma…

…was less likely to occur at medical teaching institutions, as compared to institutions that did not employ residents (or institutions with less than the median number of residents per bed as compared to the national average), and

… was more likely to occur at medical facilities with lower nursing expertise compared to those with nurses who had greater expertise.

The study concluded that, "Patient safety problems for hospitalized children occur frequently and with substantial impacts to our health care industry." (See link to full study webpage, below.)

Having assisted mothers and families where babies were injured during childbirth in Florida, we are aware of the importance of proper medical techniques and practices to safely bring a child into the world. To learn more about child birth injuries in hospitals and clinics in the state of Florida, please visit our resource pages below.

Q&A with Fort Lauderdale, Florida Childbirth Injury Attorney Debi Chalik
Learn how shoulder dystocia injuries to infants can occur in Florida hospital delivery rooms, and how conditions such as Erb's palsy and brachial plexus palsy may result. Attorney Debi Chalik provides guidance on what to do if you think your baby was injured due to medical error in the state of Florida.

Fort Lauderdale and Miami, Florida Pediatric Injury Lawsuit Resources
Please visit our Birth Injuries webpage to learn about common types of birthing injuries, including those that may lead to Erb's palsy and brachial plexus paralysis problems. We also discuss elements of Florida state law that impact when an injured client may file a medical malpractice lawsuit in Florida.

Sources:

Pediatric Patient Safety in Hospitals: A National Picture in 2000
Pediatrics Vol. 113 No. 6 June 1, 2004, pp. 1741 -1746

To Err Is Human: Building a Safer Health Systems (PDF)
Institute of Medicine, Nov. 1999