Some elderly Oklahomans who go to the hospital when they are ill will be re-hospitalized within a month of being discharged. For some of them, their continued poor health is because of the poor quality of care that they received while in the hospital the first time.
A study that was conducted by researchers from Harvard University found differences in the quality of care provided by female doctors versus male doctors. The researchers reviewed the medical records of 1.5 million people who were ages 65 and older and who received Medicare that went to the hospital for reasons other than surgery between 2011 and 2014. They found that patients who had female doctors at the hospital had better outcomes and were less likely to be re-hospitalized within a month than were those who were treated by male physicians.
According to the researchers, 11.49 percent of the patients who were treated by male physicians died within one month while 11.09 percent of those who were treated by female physicians did. The researchers stated that this was because the female doctors spent more time with their patients and were likelier to listen to them, translating into a higher quality of care. The researchers said that an estimated 32,000 people could be saved each year if male doctors adopted some of the practices of their female counterparts.
When a person dies because of hospital negligence, the surviving family members may want to meet with a medical malpractice attorney to see what recourse they may have. While a financial award cannot adequately compensate for the grief over the loss of a loved one, it can sometimes serve to make up for the financial contributions that the decedent made to household expenses as well as to provide reimbursement for medical bills and funeral expenses.