People who are admitted to hospitals in Connecticut expect that they will receive the medical treatment they need, get time to recover and then be discharged without incident. However, a recent report indicates that patients may have something to worry about besides their health condition.
According to the recent report, instances of sexual abuse and assault at state hospitals in Connecticut are on the rise. In fact, there was a significant increase in the number of reports of sexual abuse or assault from 2015 to 2016. The report states that there were 10 reports of sexual assault in state hospitals in 2015. In 2016, there were 24.
Most of our readers know from seeing previous posts here that medical malpractice is actually quite common. Doctors, nurses and other healthcare professionals make mistakes, prescribe the wrong medications and commit surgical errors. But now, patients in Connecticut have to be worried about these professionals committing sexual abuse and assault too?
The unfortunate reality is that sexual assault and abuse is about people taking advantage of other people. It happens in many different situations. However, when sexual abuse or assault occurs in a doctor-patient relationship, the patient who suffers from the abuse may be able to take legal action through a medical malpractice or personal injury lawsuit. Just like it is important to hold doctors and healthcare professionals accountable when they commit errors in treatment, it is also important to hold them accountable when they commit sexual abuse or assault. Connecticut residents who have been in this type of situation may need to review their legal options.
Source: CT Post, “Sex assault reports rise at state hospitals,” Amanda Cuda, Nov. 17, 2017