Like doctors, nurses are responsible to their patients and must exercise a standard of care to ensure patients are treated properly and without injury.
The healthcare industry has experienced budget cutbacks in today’s economy, and as a consequence the demand for nurses sometimes exceeds the supply that can be afforded. Nurses are required to work long shifts and work many days before getting time off. Also, medical facilities may have to hire nurses with less training and experience because their wages are lower. As a result, the incidence of nurse malpractice is on the rise.
The most common areas of nurse malpractice are failure to:
If you or a loved one has developed complications or sustained injury while in the care of a nurse you may have a legal cause of action for malpractice. Discussing the circumstances of your case with a medical malpractice attorney can help you get the care needed and determine whether the nurse was negligent.
An attorney can explain the duty a nurse owed you as patient and identify in the ways the nurse may have deviated from accepted practice. Working with your attorney, you can establish how the nurse’s actions resulted in injury or made worsened a health situation.
You may be entitled to money damages and attorney fees if your case is successful.