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Nursing Malpractice Is Becoming More Prevalent

Are Nurse Practitioner Errors Common?

Nurse practitioner error and nurse malpractice is becoming more prevalent in recent years. In a recent report of the National Practitioner Data Bank, medical experts calculated how many nursing practitioner mistakes occurred. Their studies revealed that between thirteen (13) year period, over 16,000 nurse practitioners were subject to medical malpractice lawsuits. The same report found that over 18,000 medical malpractice reports were made against nurses.nurse


In the 2006 Annual Report of the National Practitioner Data Bank, the reasons for these medical malpractice issues varied. Nursing practitioner error occurred when they failed to monitor and treat patients properly. Some of the errors stemming from nurse practitioners include misdiagnosis, anesthesia-related issues from nurse anesthetists, and obstetrics-related problems from nurse midwives.


What Defines a Nurse Practitioner?


A nurse practitioner is a registered nurse who has completed a minimum of a master's degree. They are professionally trained to diagnose and manage common medical conditions. By providing a broad range of health services, nurse practitioners work closely with physicians to help patients or serve as the regular health provider. According to WomensHealthChannel.com, Nurse practitioner job responsibilities vary. Nurse practitioners help patients in various places including clinics, health centers, health departments and hospitals. Their duties include prescribing medications and ordering and reading diagnostics reports. They also diagnose and treat illnesses, infections and diseases.

The Three Ingredients to Nursing Practitioner Error


Nurses are held accountable for actions in medical malpractice in four ways. Medi-Smart.com says four ingredients to nursing practitioner error are:

  1. Quality of Care - Nurses fail if they don't assess serious changes in the patient's health. Other actions of medical malpractice include medication errors, documentation errors, misuse of medical instruments and devices, and failure to get proper consent from the patient.
  2. Job Responsibilities - Once a nurse agrees upon accepting a patient, it is his or her responsibility to carry out assigned duties to the best of their ability and skill. Their job responsibility also includes the upkeep of high-level care towards the patient.
  3. Legal Causation - If the nurse practitioner met the standards of care, then the injury would have been avoided.
  4. Injury - It is in the nurses control to exercise appropriate behavior and care for the patient's needs. If her patient suffers disability, death, deformity, longer medical stay, or abnormal pain, nursing practitioner error may be the result.

The Rasansky Law Firm is dedicated to being an advocate for individuals suffering from nurse practitioner error. If you feel that this medical malpractice is due to negligence, do not hesitate to fill out our free Case Evaluation Form. Our experienced and aggressive Dallas medical malpractice attorneys will gladly review the facts of your situation.

THE RASANSKY LAW FIRM
2525 McKinnon Street
Dallas, Texas 75201
CALL US AT
1-877-405-4313