Nurses are a vital part of the medical community and provide a great deal of help, support, compassion, and care for patients.  Some may even argue that nurses are the most important component in the medical world and without them the medical experience on the whole would suffer greatly. 

While it is true that nurses are a valuable resource and one that is quite necessary to the medical profession, there are times when errors are made by nurses which can lead to great harm and serious consequences.

Each year, thousands of people all across the United States experience serious injuries and even die because of nursing errors.  According to data provided by the Institute of Medicine, medical mistakes, which include all nursing errors, account for the deaths of between forty four thousand and ninety eight thousand patients who are hospitalized each year.  For data that has been collected since 1995, more than one thousand seven hundred patients have died, and more than nine thousand five hundred have been injured because of nursing errors.  Hospitals and other medical care facilities are chock full of nursing staff that are not adequately trained and/or are overworked.  Most often nursing errors are the result of carelessness or negligence, and this issue is made worse by training that is lacking as well as fatigue.  Unfortunately, nursing errors are on the rise, and patients are suffering more and more serious injuries and deaths.

If you or someone you know has been harmed because of an error on the part of a nurse, you should not hesitate to contact a personal injury attorney as soon as possible.  He or she will review your case details and will discuss your options for pursuing a legal claim.

As mentioned above, there can be a number of factors that contribute to nursing errors.  One of the main reasons for mistakes is because there is a serious shortage of registered nurses throughout the United States.  The nurses that are available are often worked very hard, and are paid poorly.  Because of the lack of staff, many medical facilities and hospitals have put mandatory overtime into place.  What's worse is that some hospitals are so desperate for help that they hire nurses who are not qualified, not licensed, and hail from temporary work agencies just to keep up with patient demand.

That being said, several experts and studies have found a direct correlation between nursing staff that is lacking and an increase in adverse outcomes.  In fact, the Journal of Health Affairs found without a doubt that nursing errors are three times more likely to happen after a nurse has been on duty for more than twelve and a half hours.

Many things contribute to disastrous outcomes for patients who suffer because of nursing mistakes.  As previously stated, the shortage of nurses available leads to situations where staff is spread thin.  Working conditions for these nurses is also poor which leads to an increase in workplace pressure; nurses then become underpaid and overworked.  Many hospitals require their nurses to work a sixteen hour shift, which has been found to drastically increase the potential for errors. 

On top of all of these issues and risks, another main cause of nursing errors is negligence.  Nurses can fail to abide by the proper guidelines for procedures that have been put into place in order to protect the health and well being of their patients.  These types of mistakes can lead to injuries and illnesses that can be quite serious in nature.

Some of the most common forms of nursing errors include the following issues: misusing medical devices, not dispensing the proper dosage of medication, not performing care that is vital to the patient in a prompt manner, dispensing medication to the incorrect patient, not reporting changes in patient condition to the attending physician, performing duties or tasks that they are not qualified or trained to perform, not noticing important changes in the condition of a patient.

If you or someone you know has been the victim of a nursing error and have been seriously hurt because of it, or if you have lost a loved one because of a nursing error, you may be able to obtain compensation for your damages by filing a medical malpractice lawsuit.  To have the best possible chance of a favorable outcome, you should consult with a qualified personal injury attorney in a timely manner.

Taking the time to consult with and hire a personal injury attorney will give you not only peace of mind, but it will also ensure that all details of your case are being handled properly, that no statutes of limitations are being overlooked, and that you are not being forced to settle by the teams of legal professionals representing the nursing staff and the hospital.  Hospitals have legal staff on hand at all times to ensure their interests are well protected.  You should have someone working just as hard on your side as they do. 

For the most part, personal injury attorneys work on a contingency basis.  This means that you pay nothing upfront and nothing until the time your case settles.  In an already stressful and difficult time this can be a tremendous comfort.

A personal injury attorney cannot reverse the harm that has been experienced, but he or she can hold those who are accountable responsible for their actions, and can help you to get the justice you so rightly deserve.  Compensation can be sought for past, present, and future medical bills, a loss of income, pain and suffering, emotional harm, and in some cases punitive damages.  Punitive damages are a type of punishment handed down by the court system in order to help to prevent similar acts from happening in the future once again. 

Filing a lawsuit for nursing errors that have caused harm is not only something you should do for yourself and for your family, it should be done in an effort to protect other innocent patients from having to suffer the same harm.