Nowadays nurses have to handle more delicate patients requiring some complicated procedures. For this reason, many nurses today are facing malpractice lawsuits which will be increasing in the near future. Because, they have to handle more patients needing more complicated procedures, they are liable to commit mistakes during the course of their duties.. Negligence is only one of the cases in a malpractice suit. There are certain kinds of services and duty of care that nurses are expected to fulfill in any clinical setting. Causing injury or accidental death is two of the serious situations but even the simple fact that the standard of patient care has been violated is enough to file a complaint in court.
Some of the legal assumptions that are used as basis of malpractice lawsuits against nurses:
1. The nurse was directly responsible for the care of the patient. This means that only when the nurse is in charge of administering and supervising the activities of a hospital ward can she be sued. Her duty of care must be established;
2. The nurse failed to maintain standard duty of care to the patient; whether it was accidentally, incompetently or maliciously;
3. The patient was injured or otherwise affected by the improper care;
There are other common issues considered as nursing malpractice which include: disobeying physician’s orders, making errors when administering medications, ignoring warning signs that lead to worsening conditions, failing to keep the patient’s environment free from infection, and many others.
Many malpractice lawsuits against nurses are filed against the hospitals that are ultimately responsible for the staff under their employ. In cases where the nurses are working in the homes of convalescent patients; it is the agency making the assignment that may be the defendant. In other cases, if a physician was present at the time the nurse committed the mistake or transgression against the patient, the doctor is considered liable if he or she holds a supervisory position, or at least able to prevent the action resulting in injury.
If you were injured as a result of someone’s negligence please contact an experienced Injury Lawyer to discuss options that both you and your loved ones may have to be compensated.
If you or a loved has suffered due to negligence you may wish to consult with experienced Philadelphia Injury Lawyers. You may be entitled to compensation for your injuries. Please note strict deadline apply and it is in your best interest to contact a Pennsylvania attorney immediately.