The United States is the leader in providing healthcare and state-of-the-art treatment to patients—especially for new babies and mothers? Right? Wrong, the U.S. actually has the highest maternal mortality rate of all first-world countries. According to the CDC, an estimated 700-900 women die yearly due to pregnancy-related causes. They also report that maternal deaths in the United States increased between 2000 and 2014, and 60% of these maternal deaths were considered preventable.
We should have no excuses for these preventable deaths. Who is addressing the medical communities and making them pay for this wrong?
What Is the Problem in America?
There are many causes for the reported poor health care of women during pregnancy:
The failure warn women about dangerous post-birth conditions.
The failure of healthcare providers to recognize worrisome symptoms and treat emergencies in time.
The US healthcare system makes it hard for women to get the care they need, especially if they don’t have superior health insurance.
New mothers receive general treatment in that they are not monitored unless their pregnancy was high-risk. They are usually discharged as soon as possible. They are expected to be "ok."
Upon discharge, women do not typically receive information on how to tell if they need medical after giving birth.
This focus on the newborn's health has proven to be a disservice to the new mother.
Do Healthcare Provider Contribute to the Problem?
There are many ways in which decisions by healthcare workers can become problematic for a new home. For example many women never know that preeclampsia is a condition that can develop in the days after childbirth. Failure to monitor her high blood pressure and to treat warning signs could resulted in brain injury and/or death.
An analysis by the CDC Foundation of maternal mortality data has identified factors that lead to maternal death and the following include healthcare providers:
lack of standardized policies,
inadequate clinical skills,
failure to consult specialists, and
poor coordination of care
Medical Malpractice
The key elements of medical malpractice are that the healthcare provider violated the standard of care, that the standard of care violation was a cause of some damages, injuries, or losses. So, a healthcare provider who fails to monitor a patient for symptoms, fails to treat warning signs of a dangerous condition, or fails to give mothers essential information on how to maintain their health may be negligent. If these failures were a cause of injuries, damages, and/or losses, there may be a medical malpractice claim.
If you were injured after childbirth, or you believe your loved one was injured or died due to medical malpractice during or after delivery, please give the Bowen Law Firm a call at 803.602.3524. We seek legal and economic justice for women in personal injury cases throughout the state of South Carolina.
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