Medical Malpractice (Healthcare Negligence)
Medical malpractice is a legal term used to describe negligence committed by a healthcare provider. Medical negligence can take the form of affirmative actions (doing something that increases the risk to a patient), or failing to care for a patient despite obvious signs and symptoms that a patient needs help. Below are just some types of common categories.
Hospital Fall
Falling at hospital is often described a “never event.” Patients admitted to hospitals are required to be evaluated for fall-risk precautions. Even when fall-risk precautions are noted on the chart of a patient, nurses or physicians may fail to assess a patient after a fall or prescribe medications that increase the risk a patient will fall.
Treatment Delay
Hospitals and medical facilities are required to treat their patients in a timely fashion based on the needs of each patient. Failing to administer life-saving care or evaluations can be the difference between a loved one walking out of a hospital or family members signing a DNR.
Failure to Monitor
Nurses and medical providers are required to monitor their patients based on the needs of each patient. Sometimes, changes in a patient’s condition occur, which will be observed by family members bedside. Unfortunately, sometimes nurses or doctors will fail to recognize a change in a patient’s condition, which may result in an unrecognized need for medical intervention.