Every year roughly 1.7 million people contract infections during hospital stays in the U.S. Of those nearly 2 million victims, almost 100,000 die. While the numbers are startling, a recent report by the Pennsylvania Department of Health reveals that some of the best-known hospitals in the state’s largest city, Philadelphia, have some of the poorest infection records in the state.

Medication errors at nursing homes can often be traced to corporate greed. All too often, nursing homes place profits ahead of patient care. A failure to properly hire, train and supervise staff is often the cause of medication errors.

Common examples of medication errors include:

• Overdoses
• Failure to provide necessary medication
• Giving patients the wrong prescription medication

Nursing homes and their medical staff are responsible for the safety and well-being of patients in their care. One critical component of patient care is the diagnosis and treatment of medical conditions that may pose a threat to a patient’s welfare.

Failure to diagnose and treat any medical condition may constitute negligence. Some common types of medical conditions that may be misdiagnosed because of negligence include:

• Cancer
• Pneumonia
• Alzheimer’s
• Dehydration and malnutrition
• Bed sores

Nursing home staff members have a legal responsibility to exercise reasonable care for the safety and welfare of nursing home patients. Part of this is the duty to provide adequate food and liquids to avoid malnutrition and dehydration.

A food plan and dietary schedule should be created to meet the individual needs of each nursing home patient. The food and liquids provided to each patient should take into account any physical or mental health issues that may affect the patient’s dietary needs. Failure to attend to a patient’s individual dietary needs is negligence.

Losing a loved one in any kind of accident is a tragic experience that no amount of money can replace. If the accident was the result of carelessness or negligence by another person or company, however, it is important to hold the responsible party accountable. By recovering compensation through a wrongful death claim, you can pay for any remaining medical bills, funeral expenses and other financial losses.