What is Nursing Malpractice?
Nursing malpractice has increased substantially in the last few years and is due largely to two factors:
1) Hospitals and care facilities have reduced staff to cut costs, leaving fewer registered nurses to do more of the work. This alone has increased the rate of nursing errors.
2) Nurses are better trained than ever before and are now perceived to be the physician’s backup. It is still a cultural perception in this country that the doctor knows the medical protocol, but the nurse knows the patient. This is a catch-22 for nurses: they must now choose between following the doctor’s orders and possibly losing a patient or acting in place of the doctor and possibly losing their license.
At Perey Law Group, PLLC our nursing malpractice lawyers have the experience necessary to help you during this difficult time. If you feel you or a loved one has been the victim of nursing malpractice please contact us today.
Types of Nursing Malpractice
Nursing malpractice can occur in virtually any healthcare setting where nurses are employed, including in, operating rooms, emergency rooms, intensive care units, and cancer units, among many others. Additionally, nursing malpractice may take many forms, including failure to:
· Monitor a patient’s condition
· Follow doctor’s orders or to override doctor’s orders when conditions call for it
· Obtain informed patient consent
· Note changes in patient condition
· Use medical equipment/instruments properly
· Provide patient with proper medication
When any of these things results in injury or harm to a patient, it is considered nursing malpractice and the patient may be able to hold the nurse liable for damages suffered as a result.
Nursing Malpractice and Personal Injury Law
The old adage “overworked and underpaid��? applies to many nurses today and may be a factor in would-be nurses choosing other medical professions. With the shortage of registered nurses in this country and the increase in nurse malpractice litigation, hospitals and care facilities are adding unqualified or untrained nurses, or nurse practitioners—sometimes from temporary staffing agencies—to their staff in addition to increasing the shift length of registered nurses to 12.5 hours. All this means nursing errors are three times more likely to occur.
Malpractice law allows for the recovery of damages caused by nurse negligence. This may include loss of income, physical pain and suffering, emotional pain and suffering, and medical costs.
If you think you or a family member has been a victim of nursing malpractice, contact us today for a free consultation with an experienced medical malpractice lawyer.
Please fill out the form below to contact one of our experienced attorneys.
Perey Law Group, PLLC
1606 8th Avenue North
Seattle, WA 98109
Phone: (206) 443-7600
Fax: (206) 443-4785