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Hospital Negligence

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Hospital Negligence
LaTonya Jefferson
HCS 478
September 26, 2011

Negligence is defined as conduct lacking in due care and is equated with carelessness (Guido, 2010). An act can be considered negligent if it is a deviation from the standard of care that a reasonable person would do or what they would not do. At the Neighborhood Hospital, negligence has been cited due to the wrong limb being amputated on a patient. We will look at negligence vs. malpractice and whether the circumstances presented indicates negligence, as well as whether or not there is a case to pursue malpractice. As stated above, negligence is an injury that is caused by carelessness, but the injury is not intended. Gross negligence is caused when someone deliberately acts in a way in which they know or should know will cause harm (LaMance, 2011). For healthcare professionals, any act of negligence can be a basis for a malpractice lawsuit. According to Guido (2010), to be liable for malpractice, the person committing the wrong must be a professional whose misconduct, lack of skill, or fidelity in duties results in injury, suffering, or death due to carelessness or lack of foresight. In a court of law, in order to prove negligence or malpractice, the plaintiff (the injured party) must be able to prove certain elements to establish liability (Guido, 2010). These include duty owed the patient, breach of duty owed the patient, forseeability, causation, injury, and damages. Duty of care involves acting in a way that an ordinary and reasonable person would act, and as such should take precautions against creating risks of injury to others. This may include a “time out” to ensure the right limb is being amputated to prevent this type of accident from occurring. A breach of duty therefore occurred because something was done that should not have been done or nothing was done when it

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