Problems With Post-Operative Care And Monitoring

Care does not end with the completion of surgery. In fact, post-surgical care is critical in preventing complications, promoting healing, and restoring a patient’s health. Good post-operative care can ensure optimum healing and a quicker return to normal activities. On the other hand, substandard post-operative care and attention can result in extended recovery times, permanent physical impairments, and even death.

A patient’s post-operative care is not only the responsibility of the surgeon — it is a team effort and requires proper communication between the nursing staff, surgeon, on-call physicians, and any consulting physicians. Should a patient report or exhibit unusual, progressing, or troubling symptoms after surgery, the post-operative care team should take those symptoms or concerns seriously and investigate appropriately. Sadly, this does not always happen, and signs of a serious complication, such as an infection or blood clot, are sometimes dismissed as “normal” until it is too late to treat or cure.

If you or a loved one has suffered from inadequate or neglectful care after undergoing surgery, let’s talk about possible next steps.