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Common medical errors nurses make that may cause you harm

When you go into the hospital, you expect to leave in better shape than when you arrived. You rely on your doctors to properly diagnose your condition and provide an appropriate course of treatment. During your stay, you will probably see nurses more than doctors.

Because nurses often tend to numerous patients at a time, their time may be at a premium, which could cause mistakes to occur. If you happen to be the unlucky patient who doesn’t receive a nurse’s full attention, you could suffer harm. That harm may require you to undergo additional medical treatment, possibly including surgery and more time in the hospital.

These mistakes tend to happen most often

A nurse may be new or a seasoned professional. Mistakes can occur regardless of experience. The most common errors made in nursing include the following:

  • Poor hygiene practices could create an environment in which an infection could occur. If a nurse gets in too much of a hurry, a step could be missed that could cause you to contract an infection.
  • Failing to check on a patient regularly could lead to a fall. If you are like most people, you are either embarrassed to ask or don’t want to bother a nurse for help. If the nurse doesn’t come by often enough to check that you have everything you need or don’t need help, you may assume that he or she is busy and doesn’t have the time. The truth is that your nurse should check on you frequently, especially if your condition puts you at a high risk for falls.
  • Medication errors could easily occur without taking the required time and effort to make sure that the medication, dosage and delivery method are correct. In addition, patient identity for a particular medication is essential.
  • Being in a hurry, tired or otherwise distracted could lead to errors in your chart that may affect your treatment. Misinformation could cause a doctor to change something, which in turn, could cause you harm.

Any of these instances could cause you serious injuries. If you believe a nurse made an error, you may consider pursuing compensation for the medical care and other damages that arose due to the mistake. You more than likely sought out support from the people in your life to help you during your recovery. You may decide to do the same when it comes to filing legal action. Fortunately, you could make use of the legal resources available to you here in Columbus.

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