Medical Malpractice of Nurses
No nurse ever wants to make an error, most especially one that would do harm to a patient. However, mistakes happen. As a licensed professional nurse, you are expected to exercise skills and judgment commensurate with your education, experience and position. This is the standard you will be held to should you ever be named in a lawsuit alleging nursing malpractice.
-
Standards of Care and Standards of Practice
-
Nurses are judged against specific standards of care. Simply put, standards of care delineate what nurses should do in the performance of their role. Standards of practice are more specific and outline how the care is to be delivered. For example, a standard of practice for a critical care nurse might be: Vital signs will be monitored continuously and recorded on the patient's medical record every fifteen minutes for the first 24 hours following admission. Standards of care are outlined within your state's Nursing Practice Act, facility departmental policy/procedure manuals, and within your specific area of practice.
Elements of Negligence in Nursing Malpractice
-
Allegations of nursing malpractice often arise out of medication errors.
patient's arm prepped for iv drip image by nextrecord from Fotolia.com
Should you be named in a malpractice suit, the patient or plaintiff will have to prove that you failed to follow the standard of care. Specifically, the preponderance of evidence must show that a duty was owed; that you failed to perform this duty in accordance with the standard of care; that this failure caused an injury to occur, and the injury is obvious--for example, the patient suffered a severe seizure because the wrong type of blood was administered.
Avoiding Nursing Malpractice
-
Nursing is a highly respected and rewarding career, but it can also be very stressful and demanding. Even so, nurses make every effort to meet and exceed standards of care. You are your own best defense in avoiding malpractice. Keep abreast of standards of care and standards of practice. Always follow facility policies and procedures to the letter. Above all, document. Be sure to note the date and time on your nurses' notes, and record all patient assessments and nursing interventions. For additional information on legal issues for nurses, visit your state Board of Nursing web site.
-
Related Searches
References
Resources
- Photo Credit nurse on duty image by Pix by Marti from Fotolia.com patient's arm prepped for iv drip image by nextrecord from Fotolia.com
