Nursing Negligence Attorney in Pittsburgh, PA

When most people think of medical malpractice suits, they think of doctors – not nurses. Nursing negligence, however, is prevalent in malpractice cases. Additionally, because nurses provide so much patient care, negligence on their part can lead to dire consequences. Our Pittsburgh nursing negligence lawyer provides a free case evaluation if you feel you’ve been the victim of medical malpractice. Malpractice suits involving nurses can be different from those involving doctors. But like doctors, nurses have committed malpractice if they have failed to provide care or fulfill their duties in the same way a competent nurse would in the same circumstances. While not every nursing mistake is severe enough to warrant a negligence or malpractice suit, there are several reasons a nurse could be sued for negligence. Call our offices to schedule a free case evaluation.

Reasons a Nurse Might Be Found Negligent

• Doing or saying nothing when action is required. Unlike doctors, nurses do not diagnose diseases. However, the nurse is usually the first medical professional a patient encounters. The nurse is the one who hears the patient’s medical history, takes vitals, and presents an initial report to the physician. Thus, if a nurse does not take action when it is required, he or she could be considered negligent. Negligent actions include failing to call for help when needed, failing to administer medication, or failing to report important symptoms.
• Injuring a patient. This often happens with medical equipment – especially needles. Nurses who inject the wrong patient or administer medication in the wrong place (i.e. muscle instead of a vein) are in danger of being found negligent. Nurses can also injure patients with intubation equipment, catheters, or almost any other type of medical device.
• Patient abuse/medical neglect. This is prevalent in nursing homes and similar facilities but can occur in hospitals, as well. For example, a nurse working in an elderly home might be found negligent if he or she fails to treat bed sores, cuts, infections, and other illnesses or injuries.

Substandard Hospital Care

Often, the hospital is found liable for negligence along with the nurse in question. This is usually the case when the nurse was an employee of the hospital or if an independent doctor who did not work for the hospital was not supervising the nurse when the patient’s injury occurred. Substandard hospital care can also influence the outcome of nurse negligence claims. At Matzus Law, LLC, we have experience in most types of nursing malpractice cases including:

• Failure to monitor and report vital signs
• Hospital falls that cause serious injury or death
• Failure to monitor a patient’s neurologic condition and report worsening signs of neurologic injury
• Hospital-acquired infections
• Pharmaceutical errors, including those that result in nurses administering the wrong medication or administering the correct medication incorrectly
• Communication breakdowns between doctors and nurses

If you are the victim of nursing negligence, seek legal help now. Contact a Pittsburgh nursing negligence lawyer today for a free consultation.