Malpractice in Nursing

Malpractice in nursing is accumulating with regularity. While nurses are on the front line of medical care treating patients with physical and emotional conditions, significant problems can arise when nurses present with their own health issues. .

A recent study of almost 1,800 nurses across the United States concluded that there is a significant connection between medical errors and nurses who report having physical and mental health problems. The research published in the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine on October 23, 2017 found the following results:

• More than half of the nurses in the study reported having less than ideal mental and
  physical health.
• About half of the nurses reported having made medical mistakes in the last five years.
• Those nurses with sub-optimal health were linked with a 26% to 71% higher chance of making medical errors when compared to nurses having better health.

There is little doubt that nurses are in a high stress, fast moving profession. Anxiety and depression can result in malpractice in nursing. In addition, exhaustion from extended shifts, heavy workloads, and multiple distractions can and does take its toll. Nurses dealing with their own health issues may not adhere to the best standards of care where they must administer the right medication to the right patient with right dose and the right route at the right time. That is no small task even for a health practitioner who is at his or her top form.

What’s more, malpractice in nursing can occur in numerous other areas such as failing to adhere to standards of infection control or making mistakes while performing medical procedures. Nurses may not communicate with physicians properly or may be negligent in medical charting and documentation. These errors can result in serious outcomes for patients including severe injury or death.

If you are a victim of medical mistakes or malpractice in nursing, a medical malpractice attorney can help you understand your options. Contact MedMalFirm.com for a free consultation. Get started by simply filling out the online form.