When you visit a hospital, you have a reasonable expectation of safety. If you are admitted to a hospital for treatment, then you expect that said visit will expedite your climb back to wellness. If you are visiting a loved one in the hospital, you expect that they are being properly cared for and allowed to recover.

Most of the time, all of these expectations are proven to be true. However, far too often, they are not. Thousands die of infections received at hospitals from things like contaminated medical equipment, unsanitary examination rooms, and poor patient care leading to bedsores.

If you have a loved one in the hospital, it is important that you remain vigilant and, if you have questions or perceive hospital negligence, you be willing to question decisions and demand answers.

If you are in the hospital yourself, there are still things you can do to protect yourself. In a recent article on Fox News, Dr. Manny Alvarez offered some advice to those who find themselves in the hospital and have reservations about the service being provided.

• Before you are examined by a doctor or nurse, ask that he or she wash their hands and observe them doing so.
• If you are having blood drawn, make sure that the individual doing it uses brand new gloves. If he or she pulls them from a pocket or picks up a pair lying nearby, ask that new gloves be retrieved.
• If needles are used, then they should be taken from new packaging.
• If you are receiving an injection, that medicine must be taken from a new bottle.

Lastly, it is well within your rights as a patient to question any decisions or actions taken by the individual treating you. If something does not seem right, raise your voice.

Related Resource

• Tips to Protect Yourself from Hospital Negligence (Fox News)