As medical science has advanced, people around the country, including in Illinois, have become ever more reliant on medical care to address illnesses and other conditions that could cut short their life or lives of loved ones. As medical facilities have increased, so have the expectations of patients. Unfortunately, the chances of medical errors have also increased, resulting in more litigation by victims.
Many Chicago medical malpractice professionals agree that medical negligence has become an epidemic the past few decades. Thousands of patients are harmed by or lose their lives to medical injuries every year. As a result, medical negligence lawsuits have increased as patients have become more aware of what constitutes medical error.
What is leading to the widespread increase in medical negligence in the United States? Research suggests that the main problem is poorly trained doctors treating large numbers of patients within short periods of time. Some observers think medical care has become more of a commodity than a service provided by hospitals and other medical facilities.
Hospitals consider medical practitioners who can handle higher volumes of patients or more surgeries within a specified time as more profitable and thus more valuable. In large part, hospitals and medical facilities do not invest enough time and money to train their doctors and nurses because that would reduce the amount of revenue generated by the physicians and their staff.
Physicians and other medical workers may not be given enough economic incentive to ensure superior care. Now hospitals tend to recruit large numbers of physicians and other medical staff to increase the volume of their cases instead of recruiting fewer but more highly skilled individuals who can provide exceptional care. The fallout from this approach may be the skyrocketing number of patients who suffer medical injuries or lose their lives as a consequence.
If an individual in Illinois believes they might be a victim of medical negligence, they should understand their rights. Legal remedies could be available to them and they should seek guidance about their options to recover compensation for their injuries, damages and losses.
Source: Law.NIU.edu, “Medical Negligence Litigation is Not the Problem,” Accessed on Nov.19, 2014