Three Situations In Which Nursing Malpractice May Occur

When it comes to medical malpractice claims, many people always assume that the buck stops with the doctor. However, there are cases where whatever went wrong could have been avoided if the nurse had offered the patient a reasonable standard of care. In such a case, your claim will be considered as a nursing malpractice one, and the nurse will be the defendant in your case.

Here are three examples of such situations:

Situation #1 - Giving You Improper Medication

In many hospitals, it is the nurses' duties to give inpatients their medications. The doctors determine which type of medication to give, and when to give it, and the nurse has to follow the directives to the letter. Failure to follow the directives leads to nursing malpractice.

For example, a doctor may prescribe two forms of medicines and instruct the nurse to give the patient each of them in alternate days. If the nurse fails to follow the directive, and gives both of them to you at once, and an injury occurs, then it is the nurse who is responsible for your injury.

Situation #2 - Failing to Act When Necessary

In many situations, nurses have more contacts with patients than doctors. They are the ones who clean and dress wounds, coordinate patient care and generally work on the front-line of patient care. Therefore, they have a duty to act if they notice sudden changes or any situations that call for immediate action.

For example, your nurse may be required to call your doctor when your heart rate goes below a certain level. If the heart rate monitor indicates that your heart rate has fallen below the stipulated time, and he or she doesn't notify the doctor, then the nurse is responsible for any injury that may ensue as a result of his or her failure to act.

Situation #3 - Injuring You with an Equipment

Since nurses spend a lot of time in patients' rooms and bedside, they are trained and required to be alert and careful around patients. This training is necessary because a simple mistake or accident can have devastating consequences. Consider an example in which your nurse interferes with your enteral feeding and medication tube and fails to notice it. In such a case, you will not get the appropriate medication you need, and you may suffer, as a result.

It is important to identify the right defendant when submitting a medical malpractice claim. If you don't, then your case may fail when the person or body you sued is found to be not liable for your injuries. By then, the statute of limitations for your type of personal injury may have expired. To learn more, contact a personal injury lawyer if you need more details and information.


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