Individuals, who choose to pursue a career in the medical field, must always act with diligence and vigilance to ensure for the health and welfare of patients. Today, the implementation of electronic health records mandate means that doctors and nurses must input vital health and medical information in patients’ records to ensure such information can be readily shared and accessed by numerous providers.
In 2008, a 28-year-old woman gave birth to a baby girl. The delivery and birth were normal with the healthy baby being delivered vaginally. However, what was a joyous event soon turned into a nightmare as the young new mother suffered a severe and debilitating stroke just 17 hours after giving birth.
Today, the 35-year-old wife and mother is paralyzed and must rely upon a wheelchair, her family and two home caregivers to get around and accomplish nearly any type of task. In the wake of the new mother’s stroke, her family learned that four years prior to giving birth, she’d be diagnosed with a brain condition that made a vaginal delivery extremely dangerous. However, the crucial notes detailing the woman’s serious condition were never entered into the appropriate database.
Earlier this month, the 35-year-old mom and her family learned that they had triumphed in a medical malpractice lawsuit they filed against the medical facility at which the woman was diagnosed and the individual doctor who failed to enter the crucial notes. While nothing can undo the mistakes of the past and restore the woman to her normal physical state, the sizeable judgment of $35.4 million will help ensure that she and her family are able to live more comfortably and without the constant worries of how to afford medical and long-term care costs.
Source: The Boston Globe, “7 years after stroke, paralyzed woman awarded $35m,” Travis Andersen, May 8, 2015