How Nursing Mistakes are Jeopardizing Patient Safety

Posted on October 23, 2015 by Shapiro Law Group

Nurses are compassionate, caring and skilled at carrying out the duties of their occupation, but are also capable of making medical mistakes that can kill or injure patients.

Many nurses work in busy and understaffed hospitals with ideal conditions for medical mistakes. Nurses have the responsibility of dispensing medication to patients, and when rushed, can ignore important information on labels. For example, a nurse who is rushing to finish his or her duties may mistake two medications with similar names, or ignore a ‘do not crush’ warning. Other important information can be missed on patient medical histories.

A story published in the New York Times four years ago shows how devastating medical errors can be for nurses and patients. The story describes a woman who had been a nurse for 27 years, never once making a mistake. One day, she gave an overdose of medication to an infant, resulting in the death of an 8-month-old heart patient. The error resulted in the nurse being fired, and she later committed suicide.

Why Nursing Mistakes Are Putting Florida Hospital Patients at Risk

Nursing mistakes and patient safety have become an issue in Florida, where many health care workers are protesting understaffed hospitals. In Sarasota, Florida, a large group of nurses recently held a rally, claiming they are understaffed and being forced to put patients at risk. The nurses also claimed wages in Florida are below the national average, making it difficult to retain nursing positions. Nurses working in understaffed hospitals will have to dedicate less time to each patient, increasing the risk for errors.

Patients or family members who have been hurt by medical mistakes might have legal options.

Shapiro Law GroupTampa Bay Medical Malpractice Attorneys

Tags: Nursing

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