Question

legal risk for doctor who didn't wash his hands between patients?

Answer 1

MEDICAL MALPRACTICE AND NEGLIGENCE

Not washing hands between patients is Negligence and malpractice on the part of doctor.

According to JCAHO Negligence is defined as

"failure to use such care as a reasonably prudent and careful person would use under similar circumstances."

According to JCAHO  malpractice is defined as

"improper or unethical conduct or unreasonable lack of skill by a holder of a professional or official position; often applied to physicians, Nurses, dentists, lawyers, and public officers to denote negligent or unskillful performance of duties when professional skills are obligatory.

Ethical Principles of health care providers that ensures proper hand hygiene is a essentila part of service

• Non-Maleficence: Healthcare professionals have a duty to avoid harm to patients.
• Beneficence: a healthcare professional should focus and act for the well-being of the patient. All acts of health care provider should be directed forclients well being.
• Quality care- the patient is entitled to quality care and no breech in standard of care is acceptable.

Poor hand hygiene compliance has been associated with many hospital-acquired infections patients coming to hospitals with an compromised immune systems and vulnerable/suseptible health condition suffers serious health problem when there is a lack of proper hygiene among healthcare workers.

Medical malpractice occurs when a, doctor or other health care professional, through an act of negligent or omission, causes an injury to a patient. The negligence might be the result of errors in diagnosis, treatment, aftercare or health management.The doctor not washing hand between patient is a breech in standard of care he is failing to follow infection control procedures for safety of self as well as the patient.The health care providers are bounded to provide quality care to there client in any given situation if the healthcare professional, through any action or inaction, did not meet the standard of care it is considered as breech in standard of care and hence is an act of Negligence froom the part of health care worker.

Hence the doctor is at legal risk or can be sued for

Medical malpractice by not following standard procedure of hand washing and putting cliebt in danger of hospital acquired infection.

Medical Negligence as knowingly omitting a standart protocol of hand washing and putting self and patient at risk of infection.