Nursing malpractice
Sharing an Errors Story with Clinicians
Can your LNC practice involve educating by sharing an errors story with clinicians? I argue it not only can, it should. Here is a story I use for educating clinicians. The beginning of the errors story Two elderly Italian men with the same name were patients in an inner city hospital. Joe #1 was moved…
Read MoreLegal Nurse Consultant Report Writing: Delivering Bad News
Your plaintiff attorney client asked you to screen a nursing malpractice case for merit. You write a report that gives the facts, provides your opinions as to why the case lacks merit, and concludes by saying, “This case is a loser.” Your client receives the report, decides not to pursue the claim, and mails the…
Read MoreMedication Errors and Interruptions
How do medication errors occur? Think about the typical healthcare scene: The phone is ringing at the nurse’s station. The patients are putting on their lights asking for help. The IV pump is alarming. In the midst of this, the nurse is trying to give medications. A study showed that interrupting a nurse just once…
Read MoreAlcohol Withdrawal Liability
An attorney asks you to consult on a case involving a patient who is injured during alcohol withdrawal. She asks, “Is there alcohol withdrawal liability?” Dangers of delirium tremens Patients may be injured while going through alcohol withdrawal. Delirium tremens is the most severe form of alcohol withdrawal and occurs 3-10 days after the last…
Read MoreDropped During Transfer
The nursing assistants dropped during transfer a demented patient. They used a hydraulic lift while getting her into a wheelchair. There was a sickening thud as a patient hit the floor. Afraid they would lose their jobs, the aides did not report the incident. The next day, the patient had bruises. The daughter came into…
Read MoreNurse Practitioners: Expanding Role, Expanding Liability
New York became the 18th state to no longer requireexperienced nurse practitioners to have a written practice service agreement with a physician. Experienced nurse practitioners (who have more than 3,600 hours of practice) will be able to be even more independent. Nurse practitioners’ expanding liability accompanies their expanding role. As patients receive insurance as a…
Read MoreScreening a Medication Error Case for Medical Malpractice
A legal nurse consultant may screen a medication error case for merit. The LNC recognizes that is often easiest to screen a case by starting with the damages. What happened as a result of the alleged medication error? Permanent, severe damages have the highest potential for providing compensation, assuming that liability and causation can be…
Read MoreNursing Liability for Spinal Cord Injury
A patient arrives in the emergency department with a possible spinal cord injury. Or a patient falls in the hospital. One of the first things, which nurses must do, is to assess the patient and determine if there are any changes from the baseline assessment. Recognition of changes in assessment and changes from the baseline…
Read MoreSpinal Cord Injuries: Nursing Liability
Spinal cord injuries cause devastating injuries. Lawsuits may result with the injuries occurred as the result of someone’s negligence: falls on someone’s icy sidewalk, injury from speed motor vehicle crashes, or falls in a healthcare facility, for example. Paralysis from a spinal cord injury causes major emotional, physical, and financial damages. Spinal cord injury has…
Read MorePrevention and Early Detection of Intravenous Infiltration and Extravasation
Intravenous infiltration and extravasation instances are dreaded complications of IV therapy. Intravenous Infiltration and Extravasation Cases Infiltration is the accidental infusion of a non-vesicant solution into the tissue. An extravasation (pronounced ex-trav-a-sa shun) is an accidental infusion of a vesicant solution into the tissue. The vesicant is typically a caustic medication or a concentrated intravenous…
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