Medical negligence can occur in many forms, often leading to life-changing injuries. A nosocomial infection, or a hospital-acquired infection, is often common when patients are hospitalised, often resulting in illnesses, prolonged hospital stays, or even death. An estimated 300,000 hospital infections occur every year, a cost of more than £1 billion to the NHS. If you believe you are one of these medical negligence cases, you may be owed compensation.
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, or NICE, have guidelines on what the best practices are for infection control. This includes advice on healthcare that is cost-effective for both communities and hospitals.
Hospital-Acquired Infection: Why Does it Happen?
Most of nosocomial infections are transmitted through skin-to-skin contact with infected people. Individuals become infected when bacteria enter the body, with hospital patients highly vulnerable. Medical professionals owe duty of care to all patients; however, medical negligence often occurs.
Infectious bacteria can enter the body through burns, open sores, wounds, or through breaks in the skin from a catheter insertion. Patients with weaker immune systems are at a higher risk of infection, particularly when considering the busy hospital environment. Medical professionals move regularly between the various areas of hospitals, which increases the likelihood of bacteria spreading.
Making a Claim for Medical Negligence
Should you have been a victim of a hospital infection, one of the most important steps to take is to gather all relevant evidence. Focusing on your health is vital and you should make notes of all events while you recover. Make sure to also take photographs of your injuries, should they be visible.
Our No Win, No Fee policy ensures that anyone can claim compensation for a hospital-related infection, regardless of financial situation. We understand how difficult it can be to recover from loss of earnings, travel expenses, medical expenses, and pain and suffering incurred from a nosocomial infection.
Most Common Hospital Infections
Public Health England (PHE) collects data on the most common healthcare-associated infections. If you or a loved one were a victim of a nosocomial infection and the hospital was at fault, you may be owed compensation. Some of the most common infections acquired due to hospital negligence are:
Surgical Site Infections
At hospitals, microorganisms can enter the body through areas that have been recently operated on. They proceed to multiply in patients’ tissues and can be life-threatening. The cut or the incision that is made by a surgeon during the surgical procedure or tissue can often become contaminated.
Escherichia coli
Also known as E. coli, the bacteria are often found in animal and human intestines. The infection can spread due to skin-to-skin contact with someone infected. Eating undercooked food or having unpasteurised milk are often the sources of E. coli infection.
Common symptoms are nausea, diarrhoea, vomiting, and stomach cramps. In severe cases, it can also cause haemolytic uraemic syndrome (HUS) and lead to kidney failure.
Klebsiella Species
These are a type of rod-shaped Gram-negative bacteria found in the environment and in people’s intestinal tract, the latter which is typically benign. Klebsiella bacteria can cause bloodstream infections, pneumonia, surgical site or wound infections, and meningitis.
Vulnerable patients are at a high risk of contamination from healthcare workers’ contaminated hands, and less commonly through a contaminated environment. Medical procedures or invasive devices are sometimes associated with these infections.
Pseudomonas aeruginosa
Like Klebsiella species, the P. aeruginosa are a type of Gram-negative bacteria. They’re found in groundwater and soil, rarely infecting healthy people. Contaminated water tends to be linked to these infections, which may contaminate devices such as catheters and respiratory equipment.
Causing a wide range of serious infections, patients at risk are those who have a weakened immune system. Newborns, cancer patients, people with cystic fibrosis, severe burns, or diabetes mellitus.
Clostridium difficile Infection
These bacteria are found in people’s intestines and typically cause no issues. When present at very high levels, it can cause mild to severe diarrhoea, and severe bowel inflammation. Infections from the bacteria occur due to immune systems being compromised and when patients are on antibiotics. C. difficile is often ingested after contact with a contaminated person or environment.
Colitis
Occurs when a C. difficile infection affects a patient’s colon and causes it to become inflamed. Common symptoms of this illness are fever, weight loss, frequent diarrhoea, dehydration, and loss of appetite.
MRSA
Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, or MRSA, is an extremely contagious and common nosocomial infection. Symptoms of this disease can vary according to which part of the body is affected, with some people even having the virus but no symptoms.
A few common symptoms of MRSA are chills, a feeling of being unwell, fever, confusion and dizziness, and swelling, pain, and tenderness in affected areas.
Cellulitis
When MRSA isn’t treated, the deeper layers of the skin can become infected. Patients’ skin becomes swollen, red, and painful, with body temperature rising. From cellulitis, several conditions often develop as consequence. These can be sepsis (blood poisoning), septic arthritis, urinary tract infections (UTIs), and osteomyelitis (bone marrow inflammation).
These infections can require years of painful recovery, with victims often requiring constant care. At The Claims Partnership we always approach every claim with the professionalism and compassion deserved. Contact us on 01772 562084 to know more about making a claim; our team is always happy to answer any query you might have.