We trust nurses and other medical staff with our health. They implement the doctors’ orders, monitor vital signs, dispense medications, chart progress or lack thereof and report important symptoms. If they make any errors in these duties, or they fail to take action and their work isn’t up to standards, the result could be damaged health or even death.
Medical staff negligence is often directly related to a hospital’s negligence. Inadequate staffing levels are more common than they should be, which means nurses and other staff are often expected to provide care for far too many patients.
When negligence from nurses, medical technicians, and support staff results in injury or death, hospitals should be held responsible. Depending on the level of the negligence, patients can file malpractice lawsuits with the help of an attorney.
11 Forms of Hospital Staff Negligence That Justify Legal Compensation
Some types of negligence involve a failure to take action. Other errors are caused by taking the wrong action. All of these errors involve a failure by the staff member to follow an established standard of care. Examples of hospital staff negligence include:
- Medication errors (for example, administering the wrong dose)
- Prescription errors (for example, administering the wrong prescription)
- Failure to monitor a patient
- Failure to alert the doctor to important symptoms
- Failure to prevent patient falls and drops
- Negligent use of a medical device (syringe, catheter, intubation equipment, etc.)
- Abuse or neglect of patients (failure to prevent bed sores, sexual abuse, etc.)
- Inadequate Staffing
- Failure to prevent hospital-acquired infections
- Failure to provide proper supervision and training
- Failure to follow proper screening procedures before hiring an employee or granting hospital privileges to a doctor
This blog post should not be taken as medical or legal advice. At Liddon Law Firm in Birmingham, our attorneys are experienced in representing victims of hospital and nursing malpractice. We are meticulous in the investigation and litigation of nurse negligence cases. If you or a member of your family was harmed because a nurse or hospital was negligent, please contact our attorneys to arrange a free initial consultation and case evaluation.