WHAT CONSTITUTES POST-OPERATIVE TREATMENT IN PHILADELPHIA?
Post-op care refers to the medical treatment and monitoring that a patient receives after a surgical procedure. There are many factors that go into proper post-op care, and this includes a multitude of medical staff, including surgeons, doctors, nurses, and other medical personnel. In short, a medical provider’s duty of care does not end when surgery is complete – it extends until the post-op recovery period is complete.
All medical professionals that provide treatment to patients owe a duty of care known as the “medical standard of care.” This refers to the duty to provide adequate treatment and services at the same level of care that a reasonably competent medical professional with a similar background would provide under similar circumstances. Failing to provide an adequate medical standard of care could constitute medical malpractice.
Medical negligence during the post-operative phase of surgery can pose significant dangers to a patient’s health and well-being. In general, the two most immediate and potentially dangerous threats are infections and blood clots.
- Infections: Any surgical procedure comes with some risk of infection occurring. It is a medical provider’s duty after surgery to follow proper infection prevention protocols. This can include checking vital signs, analyzing blood test results, ensuring all equipment used during the post-op process is sanitized.
- Blood clots: A patient’s risk of developing blood clots significantly increases following surgery. This is usually because a person is fairly stagnant in bed for a longer period of time than usual. Health care professionals should help a patient perform a light exercise (if at all possible) to help increase blood flow. Medical professionals can also use compression garments and take other preventative measures to prevent blood clotting.
