Could Being Rude in the Hospital Negatively Affect Your Child’s Quality of Care?

When a child is ill, parents can become stressed and overwhelmed with fear. These high-powered emotions can easily turn into aggression or rudeness, even if it is not warranted. Most doctors and healthcare professionals know and understand this reality; in fact, many deal with it on a near daily basis. Yet a new study has found it could compromise the child’s treatment. The following explores this phenomenon, and explains the rights of parents who have children that experienced a medical mistake because of it.

In the recent study, the actor “parents” of plastic infant “patients” were asked to make a rude comment loud enough for the treating medical staff to hear. The exact comment, said by the mother, was that they should have “gone to a better hospital.” They did not act aggressively or violently. Instead, they simply verbalized their disappointment with the treatment their child was receiving.

Even in the face of such mild unpleasant behavior, researchers found that the treatment of the patient was compromised. Communication and teamwork within the medical team deteriorated, and diagnostic skills and procedural skills were impaired. The effect was so significant, in fact, researchers said that the risk of medical error was significantly higher than it had been, prior to the mother’s comment.

The medical team involved in the study spends their days dealing with distraught parents and severely ill patients. Yet even they struggled to overcome their issues after a rude comment was overheard. How much worse would the situation have been, had they used a team that was less experienced in dealing with such situations? Moreover, how does this translate over to real patients and real scenarios?

Though no concrete conclusion can be drawn from this study, it does suggest that stressed parents may need to be diligent in protecting their child’s right to receive quality medical care. Moreover, if an injury, illness, death, or pain and suffering do occur, it would be wise for parents to have the case analyzed by a legal professional to ensure medical errors were not the cause.

If you or your child have experienced a medical error, contact the San Jose medical malpractice attorneys at Corsiglia, McMahon & Allard, LLP, for assistance. Compassionate and experienced, we will fight for your rights, including your right to pursue full and fair compensation for any losses experienced by your family. Call (408) 289-1417 and schedule your free consultation to learn more.

• What Happens When Parents Are Rude in the Hospital