Nurse Malpractice
Many reports released over the past decade about occurrences of medical errors happening in the U.S. The Institute of Medicine reported in 1999 that close to 98,000 fatalities a year could be blamed on preventable medical mistakes. A follow up study in 2006 revealed that mistakes in medication affect more than one million people annually and hundreds of thousands more are injured by medical errors. In fact, the IOM states the occurrences of medical errors in the U.S. an epidemic. It is important to know physicians are not the only ones responsible. Nurses may also commit acts of negligence that result in severe patient injury or death. This is commonly referred to as nurse malpractice.
Factors that Contribute to Nurse Malpractice
Nurse malpractice has become increasingly common in recent years, in part because of a severe shortage of trained nurses to staff hospitals and other healthcare facilities. The problems that arise as a result of nurse staffing shortages are a couple:
- Nurses are required to work longer shifts. Nevertheless, working longer shifts typically leads to fatigue and increases the risk of medical mistakes. A 2004 study showed that nurse malpractice increased threefold during shifts lasting more than 12.5 hours.
- Hospitals and healthcare facilities are more likely to hire unlicensed/unregulated nurse aides to fill the need left by a shortage of registered and licensed practical nurses.
Another factor that contributes to nurse malpractice is miscommunication. The miscommunication is usually not intentional but nonetheless it is harmful and sometimes fatal.
Common Types of Nurse Malpractice
There are numerous types of nurse malpractice, but some of the most common include:
- Failing to follow doctor’s orders
- Failing to monitor a patient or care for a patient when necessary
- Dispensing the wrong drug, the wrong dose of drug or a drug to the wrong patient
- Carrying out medical procedures without the necessary qualifications
Any of these errors can result in potentially fatal consequences, including:
- Organ damage
- Drug toxicity
- Cardiac arrest
- Infection
- Coma
Have You Been Injured by Nurse Malpractice?
Nurses are medical professionals, and with their profession comes an obligation to provide patients with a standard level of medical care. When a nurse is negligent, the victim of this incident has legal rights.
Based on the circumstances, compensation may be owed to victims of nurse malpractice for cost of medical, lost wages, pain and suffering and more. In the event of death, family members may be able to file a claim for funeral expenses, loss of companionship, and loss of support, among other things.
Please keep in mind that nurse malpractice cases are subject to strict legal deadlines, so it’s important to have your case evaluated by an experienced lawyer as you as you think malpractice has occurred.
Contact Our Law Firm Today
For a free claim evaluation, contact the nurse malpractice attorneys at our law firm today. One of our attorneys can evaluate your case and disclose your legal options.
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