Nurses, like any other healthcare professional, can be held liable for their negligent conduct. Nursing errors that cause death or serious harm to patients is considered medical malpractice. When you are injured due to a preventable nursing error, you should know your options for legal recourse. A Philadelphia nurse error lawyer can help you pursue compensation for your losses. Reach out to one of our experienced medical malpractice attorneys today to learn more.
Nursing malpractice can occur anywhere healthcare is provided—in hospitals, doctor’s offices, and patient’s homes. Errors typically occur during routine exams, preoperative and postoperative care, hospital stays and rehabilitation. There are quite a few examples of nursing errors.
One of the most common nursing errors is medication errors. Nurses are responsible for administering the correct dosage and medication to patients at the appropriate time. Any mistakes with these can be grounds for medical malpractice.
Nurses must help prevent and control infections in patients through practices like regular hand washing, personal protective equipment, sterilization, and other precautions. Negligence in these routines can seriously harm patients.
When moving patients, nurses play a crucial role in preventing their falls. If a patient is injured because a nurse failed to mitigate such a risk, it can be considered malpractice.
Healthcare professionals must communicate to provide their patients with the best level of care. Nurses are often a direct point of communication between a patient and their doctors. Failure to relay concerns or document issues can be a nursing error.
A nurse’s failure to operate their equipment adequately can cause serious injuries to patients. Nurses are responsible for using advanced equipment and must be familiar with the tools they are expected to utilize in patient care.
When a nurse commits an error in caring for a patient, it is medical malpractice because they have not provided the minimum degree of care. A Philadelphia attorney could determine whether there is evidence of any of these nursing errors to make a valid claim.
A nursing error can cause serious complications for patients. When a nurse makes a mistake, they can be held liable for medical malpractice. Nurses owe a duty of care to their patients and can be sued if their care falls below the acceptable standard. Likewise, other healthcare professionals can be legally responsible for a nurse’s errors. A supervising doctor, for example, could be held liable for a mistake the nurse made. For example, if an object was left inside a patient during surgery by a nurse, both the doctors and the nurse can be held responsible for malpractice.
More broadly speaking, the hospital or medical office can be held liable for malpractice as an employer. Under the theory of vicarious liability, employers are liable for their employee’s negligent conduct within the scope of their employment. In the case of nursing errors, this would include mistakes made during the care of patients, which an attorney in Philadelphia could surmise from further review of the case.
When you are injured due to a nurse’s error, you could have a claim for medical malpractice. Healthcare professionals are obligated to provide their patients with a certain standard of care; when treatment falls below this standard, the medical professional could be held liable for negligence. A Philadelphia nurse error lawyer could help to determine if you have a claim for medical malpractice. Call one of our experienced attorneys today to schedule a consultation.
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