Premature discharge is when a patient is released before they are ready to leave a medical setting or when all the required steps are not followed.
Here is what to know about it:
Overcrowding is one of the reasons some hospitals do this. A hospital may admit more patients than it can hold. Accordingly, they may lack beds. This can pressure them to discharge other patients prematurely to create space.
Mix-ups between patients can also lead to premature discharge. For example, if the lab results of two patients are mixed up, a physician may believe a patient is doing better and, in turn, discharge them.
Further, although uncommon, a medical device can give wrong readings due to poor calibration, contamination or human error, leading to premature discharge. For example, a blood pressure cuff can give inaccurate readings, which can cause a doctor to discharge a patient believing they are medically stable.
Premature discharge that led to harm might give grounds for a medical malpractice claim. If you or your loved one suffered harm after a hospital prematurely discharged you, get legal help to understand if you have a valid case for compensation.
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