Houston Nurse Negligence Attorney
Nurses are an extremely important part of any hospital stay. Nurses relay important information to the doctors and medical staff. Nurses chart a patient’s vitals. They make sure that doctor’s orders are met. Good nursing care helps ensure that patients receive the best possible care. Since they are such an important part of a patient’s care, hospital nursing errors can have serious consequences. Chelsie King Garza is a Houston nurse negligence attorney handling nursing malpractice cases.
Common Hospital Nursing Errors
Nurses must be properly trained to handle the duties of their particular department. They must be able to meet the needs of their patients. Nurses cannot drop the ball when it comes to patient care, since they are essentially the doctor’s eyes and ears, while the physician is not with the patient. Many hospitals are short-staffed. Nurses have many distractions as they care for patients. Overworked, tired, and stressed nurses can make mistakes including:
- Failing to monitor a patient is inexcusable – regardless of whether the hospital is short staffed, or a nurse is simply having a bad day, patient care cannot suffer.
- Shift change errors, or failing to adhere to hand off procedures in communicating patient conditions and orders
- Failing to relay critical information to a patient’s physician
- Allowing patients to use the restroom, or walk alone when they are unable to do so safely. Many hospital patients are fall risks. Nurses must be aware of this risk and assist the patient accordingly. A patient’s desire for privacy cannot trump safety.
- Failure to carry out the doctor’s orders
- Medication errors – nurses are the last link in the chain of medication errors. Since they administer medications, nurses are the last line of defense in preventing medication errors.
- Dropping patients during transfer or failing to use patient lifts
- Failure to notice a change in the patient’s vital signs
Medical malpractice cases in Texas are complex matters. Having an understanding of what does or does not amount to actionable nurse negligence takes experience.
Nurse Mistakes Can Cause Serious Injuries
Nurses have their patient’s lives in their hands. So, when they make a mistake, patients can be seriously injured. Those 
injuries can include:
- Spinal cord injuries, when dropped or after suffering a fall
- Brain injuries
- Respiratory distress
- Catastrophic injuries
- Wrongful death
- Mental anguish, pain, and suffering
These injuries can result in additional medical bills, lost wages, and ongoing costs of care. Holding the hospital accountable for the actions of the nursing staff may help to lessen this financial burden.
Hire a Houston Hospital Nursing Error Attorney
Contact Chelsie King Garza to schedule your free initial consultation. Ms. Garza has years of experience handling medical malpractice cases. Allow her to work for you.
