Nursing Medical Malpractice: Breakdowns in Communication

Physicians are not the only medical professionals who are subject to medical malpractice claims. Nurses are obligated to care for their patients within the standard of care, with professionalism, including communicating changes in a patient’s status to the treating physician.

Nurses play an important role in patient care and communication. They are the ones who carry out the treatment plan set forth by the physician. There is an obligation to report any change in the patient’s status, improvements or declines, to the treating physician.

A patient’s condition can change in the blink of an eye. It is a nurse’s responsibility to report these changes including documenting them in the patient’s medical records. Failure to do so can result in nursing malpractice if the treating physician does not have all of a patient’s medical details to make an informed decision about care.

If a status change was not reported and documented, and the patient suffered a significant, permanent injury, this could be nursing medical malpractice.

If you or your loved one was permanently injured and you have questions about the nursing care you received, call Attorney Gayle Sullivan immediately. Not only is she an attorney, but a licensed registered nurse (RN) familiar with nursing protocols.