Importance of Patient Safety Rules

What is the Purpose of having Patient Safety Rules?

Patient safety rules are mainly designed for the benefit of patients. There are standards that are established by doctors in the community in which they practice. Additionally, there is board certification, which means the doctors in their specialties have achieved a certain level of certification, which is highest level of certification they can achieve in their particular specialty.

These standards remain the same in all areas, and in any state in the country. These standards are critical because they establish the basic standards of care.

When you have basic patient safety rules, then what happens is, no matter what your condition is, what your problem is, or what your complaint is, the doctor is supposed to adhere to the same basic safety rules, anywhere in the country. This is paramount because that means these safety rules are the same for every doctor, regardless of their specialty, everywhere in the country.

These patient safety rules and the basic standards must be lived up to. Now when a patient is being treated and the doctor is talking to the patient, and is trying to evaluate what is going on, there are certain things the doctor has to establish in order to determine the basic level of safety and care. If the doctor violates these patient safety rules, the patient is likely to suffer from a significant injury.

Alternatively, the patient's health might deteriorate when the condition might not be diagnosed in a timely fashion. This is where certain tests and diagnostic studies should have been done.

Doctors Understand the Expected Standards of Medical Care

Even though the purpose of patient safety rules is for the benefit of patient, they also help doctors understand the basic tasks they have to do while evaluating and treating a patient. If doctors do not do those aspects that they are required to abide by they should not be working with this patient or any others. They would have violated basic standards of the medical profession.

If this violation of standard of care results in harm and injury of a patient, then the doctor can be held responsible for those patient's injuries.

Violation is Grounds for a Medical Malpractice Lawsuit

The patient safety rules makes doctors understand that there are basic standards of medical care, which must be met while treating and evaluating patients. There is not any ambiguity here, it is clear and straightforward.

Therefore, if they violate these standards, and a patient is injured, they can be held liable. Patients can claim compensation for the harm and injury they have suffered. They can do this by filing a medical malpractice lawsuit against the particular doctor or hospital that has violated the basic standards of medical care.

When a patient considers filing a medical malpractice lawsuit, he will approach an attorney, who will study the case and have it reviewed by a medical expert. This expert will review the medical records of the patient mainly to find out if patient's safety rules have been broken. On top of this, they will check to see if there is a violation of any of the medial rules and fundamental standards of medical care which could have caused the patient's injuries. Only when an expert confirms such a violation, can a medical malpractice lawsuit can be filed in New York.