In recent years, nurses have been taking on an enhanced role in delivering medical care and are at the forefront of interactions with patients. As such, registered nurses (RNs), licensed practical nurses (LPNs) and related nurse practitioners are all healthcare providers licensed by the State of Florida. They’re subject to a professional duty of care as described by law, which means you may have legal rights if you suffered harm because of nursing malpractice.
However, the process for obtaining compensation for nursing mistakes is extremely complex. The legal and medical subject matter is technical, so it’s important to trust an experienced attorney to fight for your rights. At Palmer | Lopez, our team is knowledgeable in all types of medical malpractice cases, so we’re ready to help you recover the full range of monetary damages available by law. Please contact our office to set up a free consultation with a lawyer who can explain the details. You might also benefit from reviewing some basics.
Liability in nursing malpractice cases
All healthcare providers are held to a standard of care that applies to their area of practice, including nurses. RNs, LPNs, and related practitioners must comply with the relevant standard that corresponds to the level of training and education a similarly-situated, hypothetical nurse would possess. When they depart from this standard and deliver a substandard level of care, these professional may be accountable through a nursing malpractice claim. It’s possible to recover for your medical costs, lost income, pain and suffering, and other losses.
Types of errors by nurse professionals
Every case is unique, since there’s a wide range of mistakes an RN, LPN, or other practitioner can make. Palmer | Lopez handles nursing malpractice claims based upon:
- Failure to carefully conduct a thorough assessment of the patient
- Neglect in reviewing medical history or leaving out essential information
- Mistakes in alerting other healthcare providers about the need for medical intervention
- Errors in administering medication, such as the improper drug or dosage
- Neglect in delivering an injection through intravenous or intramuscular insertion
- Failure to properly review information from lab screenings or test results
- Failure to monitor vital signs or report abnormal results to other practitioners
Potential parties in a nurse malpractice claim
Though it might be the nurse who erred in providing treatment, there may be other parties from whom you can seek compensation. The circumstances may vary, but you may have a claim against:
- A physician who gave inappropriate authority to the nurse
- A hospital that was negligent in hiring a nurse who was not properly licensed
- A facility that didn’t provide essential training or oversight of the nurse
Get legal help from a St. Petersburg nursing malpractice lawyer
For more information on your rights and remedies as the victim of nursing malpractice, please call (813) 506-5651 or go online to schedule your no-cost case evaluation with a skilled attorney at Palmer | Lopez Once we review your circumstances, we can provide customized details regarding your options and get started on a legal strategy to protect your interests.
