Many people pass away at home or in other locations, but the hospital is certainly one of the main places where this occurs. According to one recent study, roughly 35.1% of people pass away in a hospital. The study looked at all causes of death.
This may seem high, but the thing to note is that the rate has been declining fairly rapidly. For instance, back in 2000, 48% of patients would die in the hospital. So there has been a significant drop in the rate at which people pass away in medical centers, and there has been an increase in deaths happening at the person’s home. There has also been a slight increase in people passing away in nursing homes or hospice centers.
Not all deaths are preventable
One thing to remember, when looking at the total amount of deaths in a hospital, is that many of them are not preventable. If someone comes to the hospital after suffering a stroke, for example, the doctors may provide world-class care and still simply lose the patient.
But when a third of all people are going to die in one specific location, it’s also worth considering how certain mistakes may increase this statistic. Some patients pass away after they’ve been given the wrong medication, for instance. Others suffer harm due to wrong-site surgery or mistakes made during a surgical procedure. Still others pass away in the hospital because of diseases they’ve contracted while there or due to a misdiagnosis by their physician.
So, while not all deaths in the hospital are evidence of medical malpractice, some of them certainly are. The families of those who have passed away need to be well aware of their legal options.