Nurse Malpractice
Over the past decade, numerous reports have been released on the incidence of medical errors occurring in the United States each year. In 1999, the Institute of Medicine reported that approximately 98,000 deaths a year could be attributed to preventable medical errors. A 2006 follow up to that study revealed that medication errors harm over a million people every year, and other medical errors injure hundreds of thousands more.
In fact, the IOM called the incidence of medical errors in the U.S. an epidemic. And it’s not only physicians who are 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:
1. Nurses are required to work longer shifts. However, longer shifts often lead to fatigue and this increases the risk of a medical error. A 2004 study showed that nurse malpractice increased threefold during shifts lasting more than 12.5 hours.
2. 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. Even though miscommunication is unintentional, its results are no less harmful or deadly.
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 acts negligently, the victim of negligence has certain legal rights.
Depending on the circumstances, a victim of nurse malpractice may be entitled to compensation for medical costs, lost wages, pain and suffering, and other losses. 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 Burke & Eisner Today
For a free claim evaluation, contact the nurse malpractice attorneys at Burke & Eisner today. One of our attorneys will evaluate your case and explain your legal options.
Three ways to Contact Us:
-- Fill out the Contact Us form in the Upper Right part of this page.
-- Use the Contact Us form located on the Instant Answer Page
-- Call us: 1-800-838-0800
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