Top 4 Nursing Errors in Florida Healthcare Facilities

Few people would deny that nurses are among the hardest working people in Florida, but even these dedicated employees have their limitations when overworked. According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the odds of nurses committing an error increases three-fold when they work more than 12 hours compared to 8-hour shifts. In critical care, the risk of errors doubles when a nurse works longer than 12.5 hours. Higher patient mortality rates were directly linked to nurses working long hours during the day or work week.

Although nurses take on different tasks than physicians, their duties are the same in terms of providing quality patient care in accordance with the applicable standard of care. It is crucial to discuss your legal remedies with a Miami nursing errors lawyer if you suffered harm due to:

Medication Errors 

Nurses are on the front line when it comes to handling medications in the clinical and hospital setting. Mistakes are preventable when the nurse administering medications pays close attention to important details such as:

• Dose
• Medication
• Patient
• Route
• Time 

Falls 

CDC data indicates that nurses who work more than 40 hours per week are linked to a heightened risk of adverse patient outcomes, particularly falls. A patient who is hospitalized or residing in a nursing home is already in a vulnerable state. Conducting frequent patient rounds reduces the risk, particularly for patients who have mobility issues, as neglected patients may try to get in and out of bed on their own. 

Documentation Mistakes 

When doing rounds, nurses are responsible for noting vital signs, changes in a patient’s condition, or other events that impact quality care. They know to alert physicians and other staff regarding emergencies, but nurses also have the duty to document their findings in chart notes. A failure to document interactions with patients could cause injuries when missing information leads to adverse action by another health care provider. 

Infections 

It is basic knowledge that hand washing reduces the potential for health care acquired infection (HAI), but there are other ways that nurses might fail with hygiene. Examples include:

• Failure to sanitize equipment, particularly central lines
• Neglect in inserting and removing catheters
• Not properly monitoring a patient for post-operative infections at the surgical site

A Florida Nursing Errors Attorney Can Assist with Legal Remedies 

If you or a loved one suffered harm because of nursing staff negligence, please contact Freidin Brown, P.A. to speak with a member of our team. We can set up a free consultation at our offices in Miami or Fort Myers, Florida. After reviewing the details of your case, we can provide additional information on strategies for pursuing a nursing errors med mal claim.

Resource:

cdc.gov/niosh/work-hour-training-for-nurses/longhours/mod3/10.html