Nurses Make Mistakes Too

While it is more common to hear of medical malpractice as it relates to doctors, nurses may also be guilty of it.

Nurses don’t go to work thinking about negligently performing their jobs. They arrive ready to do their shift and perhaps at some point during those 12 hours unintentionally commit a negligent act that results in injury or death to an unsuspecting patient. Sadly, it appears that nurse malpractice is on the rise thanks to the conditions in many hospitals today – overcrowding, understaffing, unrealistic deadlines, a steady stream of emergencies, and other factors that overwhelm even the best intentioned RN.

An overworked, overwhelmed RN makes mistakes; it’s just that simple. The results of those mistakes often mean a Cleveland malpractice lawyer is seeking compensation from the courts for damages a victim has suffered, including emotional, financial and physical.

The solution to nursing malpractice would seem to be more nurses. As simple as that may sound, it appears to be a difficult goal to achieve. While nurses are in high demand, there is a chronic shortage of registered and licensed nurses. That means that those working on the front lines are often tapped to work more and more overtime. The cumulative total of hours worked often leads to burn out and nursing errors. Many a Cleveland medical malpractice lawsuit has made mention of the nursing shortage at hospitals.

Statistically speaking if a nurse is working over 12.5 hours, they are three times more likely to make mistakes while on duty. In response to the, it’s no real surprise there is poor communication, carelessness and miscommunication. Many of these factors become part and parcel of a nursing lawsuit filed by a Cleveland medical malpractice lawyer.

Nursing errors may run the gamut from medication errors (wrong dose or wrong patient), not doing what a doctor instructed, not responding to a patient’s needs in a timely fashion, or going ahead and doing a procedure they are not properly trained to handle. While many of these mistakes may be explained by being overworked and stressed, the consequences of this inattention and negligence may result in a drug overdose, coma, infection, organ damage, an adverse drug reaction or death.

Patients who have survived what they feel was nursing malpractice should seek the expert legal counsel of a Cleveland medical malpractice attorney to discuss recovering damages for medical expenses, pain and suffering, loss of wages or the ability to work, loss of support (involving a death), etc.

To learn more about Cleveland medical malpractice, Cleveland malpractice lawyer, Cleveland medical malpractice, Cleveland medical malpractice lawyer, visit Christophermellino.com.

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