In Iowa and across the U.S., nurses must face a stressful work environment, and this can cause them to lose focus and make mistakes. The following are the five most common errors made by nurses both new and experienced.
First are medication errors. Nurses are liable to confuse two patients and give one the other’s medication or confuse two drugs with similar names. To avoid these errors, nurses should double-check names as well as patients’ height and weight, continually update the list of medications and ask patients about any allergies prior to the administration of a drug.
A second error is the neglect of good hygiene as infection is the cause of 99,000 deaths every year in U.S. hospitals. Next, nurses can commit charting and documentation errors. They must make sure to record all vital information, including the discontinuation of any drugs, changes in patients’ conditions and all nursing actions.
Nurses are advised to think about what they will say before calling up a physician because calling for help without preparation is the fourth error. Lastly, nurses sometimes do not do enough to prevent weak patients from falling. Patients should have their necessary things within reach and be reminded that the nurses are there to help them use the bathroom and complete other tasks.
Nursing errors could form the basis for a case under medical malpractice law. Victims, or their family if the victim died, can file a claim with the help of an attorney, and if it is successful, they may be reimbursed for their economic and non-economic damages. This might include medical bills and pain and suffering. In a wrongful death suit, the damages may include funeral and burial expenses and loss of support. Whatever the situation, victims may ask the lawyer to handle all negotiations.