Baltimore Medical Malpractice Lawyers: Nursing Malpractice
June 13, 2017
When putting your health and safety into the hands of a trained medical professional, you expect that person to perform his or her duties to the best of their ability. Nurses are responsible for carrying out a wide range of duties that are crucial to the patient’s wellbeing, including checking vital signs, updating charts, and administering medication.
The care provided by nurses can make the difference between life and death for sick and injured patients. If a nurse fails to perform any of these duties and that negligence harms the patient, he or she may be liable for damages resulting from nursing malpractice.
Examples of Nursing Malpractice
The following are some examples of nursing malpractice:
- Failing to take appropriate action: Nurses are responsible for monitoring a patient’s condition. If the nurse does not administer the proper medication, call for help if it is required, or fails to notify the attending physicians if he or she notices a potential emergency, the nurse could be held liable.
- Injuring a patient while using medical equipment. This could include leaving surgical equipment inside the patient after surgery, cutting or bruising a patient with a scalpel or other sharp object, burning a patient, or dropping something heavy onto a patient.
- Administering the incorrect medication. Nurses are responsible for administering medication according to the doctor’s orders. If the nurse gives the patient the wrong medication, an incorrect dose, or injects a medication into muscle when it should be given intravenously, the nurse may be held legally responsible.
Who is Responsible in a Nursing Malpractice Case?
While the nurse in question may be the one who acted negligently, a key issue in these cases is determining who is responsible for the nurse’s negligent behavior. Depending on the circumstances, it could be the hospital or the attending doctor. The hospital could be responsible from a legal and financial standpoint if the nurse was a hospital employee, he or she was performing a job responsibility when the patient was harmed, or if an independent doctor was not in charge of the nurse.
There are also instances when the supervising doctor can be held responsible. If the doctor was present when the nurse harmed the patient, and could have done something to prevent the medical mistake, the attending doctor may be held liable. However, if the supervising doctor gave the nurse improper orders which the nurse followed, knowing they could be harmful, the hospital may be liable in this situation.
If you intend to proceed with a nursing malpractice lawsuit, your lawyer may seek the assistance of a medical expert who can provide testimony to support your claim. In some instances, the nurse’s negligence is so obvious that expert testimony is not necessary. However, if it is less obvious, a qualified medical expert can be a valuable asset to your case.
Baltimore Medical Malpractice Lawyers at LeViness, Tolzman & Hamilton Advocate for Victims of Nursing Malpractice
If you or a loved one has been injured or harmed while under the care of a nurse, you are urged to contact the Baltimore medical malpractice lawyers at LeViness, Tolzman & Hamilton as soon as possible. Our dedicated team will conduct a thorough investigation of the details of your case, and work tirelessly to determine who is responsible for providing substandard medical care. We will fight to secure the maximum financial compensation you deserve. For a free consultation, call us today at 800-547-4LAW (4529) or contact us online.
Our offices are located in Baltimore, Columbia, Glen Burnie, and Towson, allowing us to represent medical malpractice victims in Maryland, including those in Anne Arundel County, Carroll County, Harford County, Howard County, Montgomery County, Maryland’s Western Counties, Southern Maryland, and the Eastern Shore, as well as the communities of Catonsville, Essex, Halethorpe, Middle River, Rosedale, Gwynn Oak, Brooklandville, Dundalk, Pikesville, Nottingham, Windsor Mill, Lutherville, Timonium, Sparrows Point, Ridgewood, and Elkridge.
