Nursing Errors

Denver Medical Malpractice Attorney William P. Godsman

Nursing Errors and Your Legal options

Nurses play a vital role in patient care.  Unfortunately, nursing mistakes can result in serious harm and even death to patients.  Nurses have an obligation to communicate with their patients, report changes in patient conditions to physicians, carry out all physicians’ orders, administer medication as directed, and monitor patient symptoms and vital signs.  When patients are harmed as a result of a nurse’s actions or their failure to act, the nurse can be held legally liable for negligence.  Victims of nursing malpractice may be eligible to recover damages, including medical costs, lost income, and pain and suffering.  If you or a loved one has been harmed as a result of a nursing error, you should contact an experienced Colorado medical malpractice attorney to ensure your legal rights are protected.   

Nursing malpractice happens when nurses do not fulfill their duties in a way that a normally competent nurse in the same situation would.  It can occur in any type of medical facility including hospitals, clinics, nursing homes, and doctors’ offices.  Nursing malpractice or negligence often results when nurses fail to listen carefully to their patients, fail to notice abnormal symptoms or vital signs, or fail to follow physicians’ orders.  Many nurses make mistakes because they are distracted, fatigued, overworked, or because they have too many patients under their care. 

Common forms of nursing malpractice include:

• Medication errors including giving a patient the wrong medication, the wrong dose, or dispensing medication to the wrong patient.
• Patient transfer errors resulting when a patient is dropped and/or injured while being moved to or from a bed, chair, gurney, or wheel chair. 
• Failure to follow physicians' orders regarding medication, treatment, etc.
• Failure to notify physician of a change in a patient's condition or vital signs.
• Documentation errors including mistakes or omissions on patient charts and other paperwork.
• Negligence during child delivery resulting in birth injuries.  
• Failure to perform life-saving treatment (or delay in performing). 

In nursing malpractice cases, the hospital or attending physician may also be held responsible for a nurse’s negligent acts.  A hospital may be held legally responsible for a nursing malpractice case if the nurse is employed by the hospital and was performing her job duties when the patient was injured.  In addition, if the nurse was under the supervision of an attending doctor, there may be times when the doctor may also be held liable instead of the hospital. 

Free Consultation
If you are concerned that you have suffered an unneccessary injury or impairment due to medical negligence, contact Denver medical malpractice attorney William P. Godsman today. He can provide a free case consultation and discuss with you your legal options for recovery. Call (303) 455-6900.

Related Medical Malpractice Information

• General Medical Malpractice Information
• Birth Injuries
• Defective Medical Devices
• Failure to Diagnose
• Medication Errors
• Medical Negligence Wrongful Death