Investigation Finds Hospitals Are Not Responding to Risks of Injury or Death After Moms Give Birth

“Every year, thousands of women suffer life-altering injuries or die during childbirth because hospitals and medical workers skip safety practices known to head off disaster, a USA TODAY investigation has found.” In a detailed and compelling investigative report, USA TODAY sheds light on a surprising trend in United States hospitals, noting that simple, inexpensive precautions are not being taken to protect post-partum patients. Even more concerning, medical providers are failing to respond to clear signs of impending danger in patients who have recently given birth. Some of these patients and/or their surviving families have filed suit claiming that the providers failed to use best practices in their treatment of the mothers, and a review of these court records reveal an epidemic of deficiencies in these settings. Although the providers all denied liability, and refused to be interviewed, the report details the number of settlements that were reached.

This report suggests the importance of asking questions – and asking for help, when you have symptoms that are not being appropriately addressed. We all want to trust our doctors and nurses, and it is particularly difficult to believe that something can go wrong at the happiest time of your life, but when hospitals concede that they are not taking necessary safety steps, there is real reason for concern. Hopefully this report will invoke a change in policies, making the providers more diligent when dealing with their vulnerable patients.

The full report can be accessed here.