Nurse negligence can cause physical, mental, or emotional harm to patients, and failure to meet ethical standards can lead to malpractice. Types of malpractice include medication errors, inaccurate patient information, mishandling equipment, and improper evaluation of vital signs. Negligence in nursing homes can also lead to consequences such as financial reimbursement and revocation of nursing licenses. Communication between nurses, doctors, and patients can prevent nurse neglect.
Nurse negligence in particular can refer to any action, or lack of action, that results in harm to a patient. This damage can be physical, mental or emotional. Failure to meet certain standards of ethics and care can also amount to nurse malpractice.
In legal terms, negligence is an act done by an alleged ‘reasonable person’ who does not abide by the competence he possesses. It is the opposite concept of diligence. Nurses, or caregivers, take on a larger role today than they did in previous decades. More responsibilities can lead to more liability, so any wrong data or action can be grounds for nurse malpractice.
Specific types of malpractice by nurses can be the wrong type or dosage of medication. Entering inaccurate patient information or misreading a diagnosis can also constitute nurse negligence. Regular errors in the use and handling of equipment will also be a basis for nursing malpractice, especially during surgery. Nurses in the obstetrics and gynecology department may also be guilty of nursing malpractice if the current or former status of both the mother and the fetus is not communicated to the doctor.
Physician assistants in nursing homes can also be liable for nurse malpractice or even medical malpractice. Older people have particular concerns and should be monitored regularly; if nurses don’t do this, they can be charged with nursing malpractice. Some types of negligence in nursing homes may include failing to inform doctors of any sudden changes in a patient, mishandling a medical apparatus, or erratic and improper evaluation of a patient’s vital signs. Whether it is a nursing home, clinic or hospital, nurse negligence can lead to serious consequences for young and old patients, such as an infection or adverse allergic reaction, damage to internal organs, coma or even death.
When a patient’s nursing malpractice claim is proven to be true of a physician assistant, several consequences can follow. A nurse may be ordered by a court to financially reimburse any damages to a patient, with an amount depending on the severity of the damage. In the worst case, nursing licenses can be revoked for a period of time, or even permanently. Nurse neglect can be avoided through constant communication and updates between nurses, doctors and patients.
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