Nurses are at the heart of hospital care. However, when a nurse makes a critical error, whether it’s a medication mistake, a failure to monitor vitals, or a delay in calling for help, the consequences can be devastating, even deadly. Inevitable nursing mistakes rise to the level of medical malpractice. You may have a valid malpractice claim if you or a loved one has suffered serious harm from negligent nursing care.
At Marzella & Associates, we help injured clients hold hospitals and healthcare providers accountable when they violate the basic standards of medical care. Our medical malpractice lawyers in Reading, PA, know how to take on powerful healthcare institutions that try to downplay or deny their mistakes.
Nursing Mistakes That Cross the Line
Not every nursing error amounts to malpractice. However, when a nurse’s actions or inaction fall below what a competent professional would have done and their failure causes harm, the law views it as more than a simple error. It becomes grounds for legal action. Some of the most common forms of nursing malpractice include:
- Medication Errors – Giving the wrong dose, confusing patient names, or skipping doses altogether.
- Failure to Monitor – Nurses are often the first to notice signs of distress. Missing changes in blood pressure, oxygen levels, or mental status can lead to avoidable complications or even death.
- Delayed Response – If a nurse ignores a call bell, doesn’t escalate a concern to a doctor, or fails to respond in an emergency, that delay can be costly and deadly.
- Charting Errors – Incorrect or missing information in a patient’s chart can cause other providers to make dangerous decisions based on insufficient data.
- Improper Use of Equipment – Failing to set up or monitor an IV pump or heart monitor correctly can lead to overdoses, heart issues, or sepsis.
In many of these cases, the harm could have been prevented with reasonable care and attention. Likewise, under PA law, you have the right to seek compensation when negligent nursing care causes serious injury or death to you or a loved one.
Unfortunately, thousands of malpractice cases are filed across the Commonwealth annually—a portion of these involve nursing homes, hospital staff, and other non-physician providers. The reality is that underpaid, understaffed, and overworked nurses typically operate in unsafe conditions. However, that does not excuse dangerous care.
What Our Medical Malpractice Attorneys Can Do
Proving malpractice isn’t just about showing that something went wrong. Your Reading medical malpractice lawyer will work with medical experts to demonstrate that a trained, competent nurse would have acted differently and that your injuries were a direct result of that failure.
They will obtain and review medical records, nursing notes, and internal hospital policies, and work with nurses and doctors who can testify to what should have been done. Likewise, they will thoroughly investigate hospital staffing levels and training records to identify every potentially liable party, from individual nurses to the hospital system itself.
Hospitals have entire legal departments ready to protect themselves, but your attorney knows how to present your case during negotiations or at trial to secure maximum compensation for your losses.
Get The Compensation and Answers You Deserve
If something went wrong with your hospital care and you suspect a nurse’s actions caused it, don’t ignore your instincts. Reach Marzella & Associates online or at 717-876-8681 to arrange your complimentary consultation with our medical malpractice attorneys serving Reading, PA, and the surrounding areas.