When patients are admitted into hospitals, it is highly encouraged that they avoid smoking while on the premises. As well, workers such as nurses and doctors are not supposed to smoke in hospitals unless they are in designated areas. This is because some of the men and women in these hospitals may be in critical condition or may need extremely fresh air in order to recover properly. In the state of Tennessee, local hospitals banned tobacco use on all properties both inside and out. The policy in this state also applies to patients and visitors that may be at the hospitals, Unfortunately, this effort has been stinted and many patients continue to insist on smoking even though the ban prohibits them from doing so. Recently, Wate News visited local hospitals in Knoxville, Tennessee and found at least 50 men and women smoking their cigarettes right next to signs which proclaimed that the hospital was a tobacco free campus.

The staff at this hospital say that they have3 tried to take pains to ensure that men and women will be comfortable even if they are not permitted to light up. The hospital carries Nicorette gum in the gift store and has Nicotine patches for those that need then, According to Majors, the hospitals in Tennessee are completely smoke free, but paramedics, nurses and doctors seem to be lighting up in the remote corners of the hospital. According to the Americans for Nonsmokers Rights, it would be excellent to ban smoking in all hospital throughout the United States.

Healthcare professional need to help with the smoke free air campaign so that they can help patients recover quicker. Smoke free hospitals often have lower maintenance costs when it comes to air control, and there is also increased worker productivity from the hospital staff who often take their required smoked breaks. As of right now, at least 45 percent of all United States hospitals have policies which require a smoke-free campus or smoke-free sections in the medical facility. Another 15 percent of hospitals have expressed interest in creating a smoke ban in the near future. The majority of US Hospitals may be trying to go smoke free, but that isn’t always enough. It only takes one disobedient staff member or negligent doctor to cause a lot of chaos for a patient in one of these hospitals.

For example, if a nurse chooses to smoke near the intensive care unit, a person with a lung problem may inhale the smoke and it may create a dangerous and unhealthy situation for that individual. If you are a patient in a hospital and believe that your health deteriorated because of smoking within the hospital, then you may have the right to litigate. You especially have the right to litigate if you are in a situation where the hospital has created a non-smoking ban but an employee failed to honor that ban. In this situation the employee is clearly in violation of hospital statutes.

Whether because of smoking, poor air quality because of neglect, or another issue, if your health is harmed because of a hospital then you can seek for medical malpractice. Hospitals should be places were where you can recover from your sickness and improve your health. If your health deteriorates because of a lack of needed attention, then you can litigate in this situation. Make sure to hire a hardworking and devoted medical malpractice lawyer before you rush into a lawsuit. You want someone who can assess the situation and then help you develop a trustworthy argument. Find a local medical malpractice attorney using this directory today for more information!