Negligence In Nursing Examples

Nursing negligence is a serious issue that can cause a patient to suffer serious injury or even death. It’s important to understand that nursing negligence isn’t always intentional and is often the result of an honest mistake. However, some cases of nursing negligence are blatant violations of accepted standards of care. To help you better understand how this type of medical malpractice can occur and what you should do if it happens to you, here are four examples of common situations where nurses might be found negligent:

Turning or repositioning a patient to prevent pressure ulcers.

Turning or repositioning a patient is a common practice in nursing. The purpose of turning or repositioning is to prevent pressure ulcers, which can result from prolonged pressure on the skin. Pressure ulcers are often referred to by their location on the body: decubitus (decub) ulcers, sacral (sah-kre-ul) ulcers, etc…

A nurse should turn or reposition a patient at least every 2 hours, but preferably more frequently if any signs of discomfort are noted during assessment in regards to positioning.

Avoiding accidents from falls.

Falls are a serious risk factor for patients of all ages and backgrounds. While it may not be possible to prevent all falls, there are actions you can take to minimize the risk once you have identified that a patient is at risk.

• The nurse should conduct an assessment of the patient’s mobility, balance and strength.
• If the nurse determines that the patient is at a high risk for falling, she should:
• Notify the physician or other health care provider immediately if any major changes occur in the condition of their patient(s).
• Assess each patient when they enter your facility on admission or transfer from another setting (e.g., emergency room). This includes new admissions as well as transfers from other facilities within your organization’s system of care (e.g., acute care hospitalization followed by rehabilitation services).

Administering medications correctly.

The first step in preventing medication errors is to verify that the patient is receiving the right medication, at the right time, and in the right quantity. Once you have these details confirmed, it’s important to ensure that no one else administers or interferes with those medications. If this is not possible for whatever reason (e.g., if there are no other nurses on duty), then your next step is to make sure that you administer each dose yourself and give a verbal confirmation of every administration. It may also help to write down each dose as you go along so that you can check off each item as it’s completed.

You should also keep an eye out for any potential signs of low blood sugar—like confusion—after giving someone insulin; this could indicate that too much was given by accident!

Monitoring fluids and electrolytes.

Nursing is about more than just administering medications. Nurses are also tasked with monitoring their patients’ physical condition to ensure that they are safe and comfortable, and that they are getting the best possible care.

In order to properly monitor your patient’s health status, you should be familiar with all of their vital signs:

• Fluid intake and output (IV fluids)
• Electrolyte levels (body temperature, blood pressure)
• Blood glucose levels (respiratory rate)
• Heart rate and rhythm (blood oxygen levels)

You can use these vital signs as indicators for when it’s time for a patient to receive medication or treatment from another professional. This ensures that no one misses anything important in terms of their care.

These are just four examples of negligence in nursing

These are just four examples of negligence in nursing. There are many other ways that a nurse can be negligent, but these help to demonstrate the types of situations where you must stay alert and aware of your patient’s needs at all times.

If you’ve been injured by the negligence of a nurse, it’s important to know that you have rights. Nursing negligence can be devastating for patients who are already in a vulnerable position. If your injury was caused by a nurse who has not properly cared for you, then it is possible that they could be held liable for their actions. If this is the case, then it may be worth looking into hiring an attorney to help recover damages from any responsible parties involved with your case.