Compensation Claims for Pressure Sores
Pressure sores, often called bed sores, harm an estimated 500,000 individuals each year, most frequently during hospitalisation or while recuperating from injury or sickness.
In many pressure sore situations, the patient’s disease or underlying health condition makes it difficult for them and/or compels them to spend a significant amount of time in bed.
Hospitals and other care providers (e.g., nursing homes) have a duty of care to do everything possible to prevent the development of pressure sores in the individuals they care for; if you believe you developed pressure sores as a result of a medical professional’s or institution’s negligence, you may be entitled to compensation.
Pressure sores are what they sound like.
Also known as ‘bed sores’ or ‘pressure ulcers,’ pressure sores develop when a person remains immobile for a lengthy period of time and are caused by prolonged pressure being applied to the same area of the body.
This results in damage to the skin where the pressure is highest, with pressure sores often appearing on the ankles, back, hips, heels, and elbows. Patients who are bedridden or who use a wheelchair are at the greatest risk of developing bed sores.
While pressure sores may form quickly, they often take a long time to cure and can be highly painful and debilitating. Pressure sores may potentially be lethal if they go undiagnosed and untreated. They may, however, be readily avoided with the proper nursing care.
Apart from developing as a consequence of the pressure on the skin caused by immobility, pressure sores may also develop as a result of plaster casts performed by medical experts. Plaster sores may develop in these instances if the cast or bandage is applied too tightly.
The most frequent causes of pressure sores are as follows:
- Inadequate assessment
- Failure to avoid pressure sores via the provision of a suitable bed and nursing care
- Bandages that are overly tight
- Plastering too tightly
If you suffered pressure/plaster sores as a consequence of medical malpractice, you may be able to pursue compensation.
How to avoid developing pressure sores
To avoid the development of pressure sores, patients must be examined using the Waterlow technique upon admission to the hospital. The method assigns patients a Waterlow score; the higher the Waterlow score, the greater the chance of getting bed sores.
Medical personnel may therefore avoid sores by supplying proper bedding materials and taking whatever steps are required to ensure the patients’ mobility – up to and including physically rotating them on a periodic basis.
Plaster casts should be applied properly to avoid the formation of plaster sores. If the patient complains of pain or discomfort under the plaster cast, it should be promptly removed to check for sores or pressure ulcers.
What is the best way to treat pressure sores?
Even when risk evaluations and preventive actions are done appropriately, pressure sores may occur in patients. In such instances, it is critical for medical personnel to respond quickly and treat the sores.
For less severe bed sores, therapy may include alleviating pressure on the affected region using specialty mattresses, as well as periodically washing the affected area and treating the wound appropriately.
In more acute situations, debridement may be required, which is the removal of dead tissue from the wound and the surrounding region.
Complications of pressure sores
Apart from causing discomfort and anguish, pressure sores may also result in some potentially significant problems if not treated promptly and correctly. Among these complications are the following:
- Contamination of the blood (septicaemia)
- Gangrene caused by gas
- Infection of the bones and joints
- Cellulitis
- Grading of pressure sores
To quantify the severity of various pressure sore situations, a grading system ranging from grade 1 (least severe) to grade 4 has been established (most severe). Each pressure sore grade is classified as follows:
Discoloration of the skin, grade 1
Grade 2: Skin loss of a portion of its thickness, which shows as a blister.
Grade 3: Complete loss of skin thickness but injury to subcutaneous tissue; resembles a deep crater.
Grade 4: Complete loss of skin thickness with severe necrosis spreading into the subcutaneous tissue
Who is susceptible to pressure sores?
The following individuals are at the greatest risk of acquiring pressure/bed sores:
- Individuals who have difficulty moving and are unable to shift positions independently
- Senior people, since they often have weak circulation
- Individuals who are unable to feel pain in part or all of their bodies
- Those who suffer from incontinence, since the wetness may cause the skin to become fragile and result in skin breaks
- Individuals who are very unwell or who have just had surgery, since they will need prolonged bed rest.
- Patients who have previously had pressure sores may be more prone to get them again due to their weaker skin.
- Those who consume an inadequate amount of water and/or have a bad diet. This is because the skin and other tissues do not get the necessary nourishment to be healthy.
How to file a claim for compensation for pressure sores
To bring a successful medical negligence claim, it must be shown that the pressure sores were caused by the medical staff’s (nurses, physicians, etc…) or the institution’s (hospital, care home, etc…) carelessness.
In most situations involving pressure sores, carelessness results from a failure to do proper risk assessments using the Waterlow approach – which then results in a failure to apply the required interventions to prevent the development of pressure sores.
Additionally, if pressure sores form, the medical staff’s failure to respond and provide proper treatment may be seen as negligence – all the more so given the potential that pressure sores might progress to far more severe and even life-threatening illnesses such as blood poisoning.
To establish medical negligence, it must be shown that there were violations of adequate standards of care that either caused or aggravated your damage.
What is the maximum amount of compensation for pressure sores?
Compensation for a pressure sore injury is determined by a variety of elements, most notably the severity of the damage, the extent of the neglect, and the impact on your daily life. Other damages, including as the expenditures incurred as a result of the injury and any loss of earnings, are also considered when determining the compensation amount.
Kindly contact us immediately if you want to talk confidentially with an attorney about initiating a compensation claim.