Nurses are the frontline for a patient. If that front line fails to ensure the highest level of care for the patient, medical malpractice – or, in this case, nursing malpractice – occurs.
Our medical malpractice attorney in California from the Licata & Yeremenko, A Professional Law Corporation explains that by its nature, nursing malpractice is no different from other forms of medical malpractice. Nursing malpractice occurs when a nurse fails to fulfill his or her medical duties in a way that another competent nurse in the same circumstances would, and that negligent act on the part of the nurse or failure to act injures the patient.
Stressed-Out and Fatigued Nurses Can Bring Disastrous Consequences
It is true that nurses serve as the key element of patient safety and well-being in any hospital in California. However, hospitals do not seem to realize this. While nurses are supposed to care for the patient and reduce the risk of medical errors, nurses in our country are not satisfied with their job, which opens the door for nursing malpractice.
A new study found that way too many nurses in America are constantly stressed out, fatigued, and are prone to nurse burnout. All these factors are a recipe for disaster. A rule of thumb is that stressed-out, fatigued, and exhausted nurses – or any medical professionals, for that matter – cannot perform their medical duties at a top-notch level and it is only a matter of time before they make a mistake.
Lack Of Sleep, Teamwork, Respect and Consideration
The study found that less than 18 percent of nurses said they slept at least 7 hours at night. Moreover, as many as 77 percent of nurses in the United States said that they have an irregular diet pattern. The vast majority of nurses also agreed that work conditions were unacceptable. A whopping nearly 90 percent of nurses said their hospitals experienced understaffing and were not able to delegate tasks properly. Meanwhile, 75 percent said they were not satisfied with their hospital administration’s decisions.
Unmotivated medical professionals are also a problem contributing to nursing malpractice. Along with unmotivated colleagues, nurses in America are frustrated by the lack of teamwork, respect, and consideration in their hospitals.
After reviewing the findings of the study, our best medical malpractice lawyers in California say it is no wonder why nurses are named as defendants in medical malpractice cases so often. Unmotivated, stressed-out and fatigued nurses are more likely to make medical mistakes, and that is the number one thing hospitals across America need to realize if they want to protect themselves from costly and preventable medical malpractice lawsuits from injured patients or the family members of patients that died due to medical or surgical errors.
Medical Malpractice and Nurses
Our California medical malpractice attorney at the Licata & Yeremenko, A Professional Law Corporation explains that hospitals need to hire the best nursing staff and ensure acceptable working conditions for each nurse. There must be strict guidelines in each hospital helping nurses prevent or cope with stress, fatigue, and exhaustion in the workplace.
If you have been injured at a hospital and you believe that it was negligence on the part of the nurse or any other healthcare provider that contributed to your injury, speak to our medical malpractice lawyer immediately. Do not hesitate to get a medical evaluation from qualified medical professionals, here at Licata & Yeremenko, A Professional Law Corporation to provide our clients with superb legal representation.
Call our offices at 818-783-5757 or complete this contact form to get a free consultation about your case.