Negligent Nursing Care
When nurses and aides fail to follow protocols, patients suffer. We hold facilities accountable for clinical care failures.
Free Case ReviewNursing staff are the frontline caregivers in any residential care facility. When nurses and certified nursing assistants fail to follow established clinical protocols, the consequences for residents can be severe. Negligent nursing care — including medication errors, failure to monitor patient conditions, delayed treatment, and failure to follow physician orders — is a form of nursing home negligence that can lead to serious injury or death.
At Maples, Connick & Brendel, we hold facilities accountable when failures in clinical nursing care harm residents.
Examples of Negligent Nursing Care
Medication errors — Administering the wrong medication, the wrong dose, or medication at the wrong time. Failing to check for drug interactions. Failing to monitor for adverse reactions. These errors can cause serious harm, particularly in elderly residents taking multiple medications.
Failure to monitor vital signs and patient conditions — Nurses are responsible for regularly assessing residents’ conditions and identifying changes that require medical attention. Failure to notice declining vital signs, worsening symptoms, or new complaints can delay critical treatment.
Failure to follow physician orders — When a physician prescribes a specific treatment, medication regimen, or care protocol, nursing staff are responsible for carrying out those orders accurately and promptly. Deviation from physician orders is a clear breach of the standard of care.
Delayed response to emergencies — When a resident falls, experiences chest pain, has difficulty breathing, or shows signs of stroke, every minute matters. Delayed response by nursing staff can be the difference between recovery and permanent harm or death.
Improper wound care — Failure to properly clean, dress, and monitor wounds — including surgical sites, pressure sores, and skin tears — can lead to infection and further tissue damage.
Failure to communicate — Inadequate shift change reporting, failure to document changes in a resident’s condition, and failure to notify physicians of significant changes all constitute negligent nursing care.
Systemic Causes
Individual nursing errors often trace back to systemic problems. Understaffing that leaves nurses responsible for too many residents. Insufficient training and orientation for new staff. Pressure to work overtime leading to fatigue. Lack of supervision and quality assurance. These systemic failures are the responsibility of the facility and its corporate operators, not just the individual nurse.
Accountability
We investigate negligent nursing care cases by obtaining complete medical records and nursing notes, analyzing medication administration records, reviewing the facility’s staffing schedules and ratios, consulting with nursing experts about applicable standards of care, and identifying whether systemic factors contributed to the individual error.
When the evidence supports it, we pursue claims against both the facility and its corporate operators to ensure full accountability.
If you believe your loved one has been harmed by negligent nursing care, contact us for a free, confidential consultation.
Frequently Asked Questions
Signs of medication errors can include unexpected side effects, sudden changes in alertness or behavior, allergic reactions, or a worsening of the condition the medication was supposed to treat. Request a copy of the medication administration record and compare it to the physician’s orders. An attorney can help you obtain and analyze these records.
While individual nurses can be held personally liable, the facility is typically the primary defendant because it is responsible for staffing, training, supervision, and ensuring that care standards are met. We focus on the facility and its corporate operators to maximize the resources available for compensation.
We retain independent nursing experts to evaluate whether the care provided actually met accepted clinical standards. A facility’s internal protocols may themselves be inadequate, and even when protocols are appropriate, the question is whether staff actually followed them.