Statistics are maintained by hospitals and various agencies across Canada regarding incidents of patient care harm due to medical or hospital error. Not every event of unintended patient harm generates a medical malpractice or personal injury lawsuit, as the definition of a harmful event is arguably broader than those instances which would define medical malpractice.
Last month, the Canadian Patient Safety Institute and the Canadian Institute for Health Information released “Measuring Patient Harm in Canadian Hospitals“, a report outlining how patient harm events are identified, categorized and reported. While overall numbers of harmful events remain low in comparison to the total number of medical patients treated in Canada every year, the statistics illustrate that unintended patient harm does occur.
If you believe that you are or were unintentionally harmed due to a hospital or medical error, the report is evidence that you are not alone. Speak to a lawyer at Pollock & Company today to discuss your medical malpractice or personal injury case.