Chicago Injury Lawyer Blog
If you or someone you love has been seriously injured because a nurse involved in your care made a mistake or acted negligently or carelessly anywhere in the Chicago area, contact Joseph Klest, Attorney at Law today. Mr. Klest is an experienced Chicago medical malpractice attorney who has successfully helped many nursing malpractice patients injured at hospitals and nursing homes recover compensation for their injuries in Will County, Cook County, Lake County, DuPage County, and in other counties throughout Illinois.
Causes of Nursing Malpractice Because of the financial cutbacks made by insurance companies in the past decade, nursing malpractice incidents are on the rise in the Chicago area. Nurses are being forced to work too many hours at a time in hospitals and nursing homes that are understaffed.
Also, due to the lack of funds to hire qualified nurses in the Chicago area, many nursing homes and hospitals are forced to hire nurses from temporary agencies. These nurses may not have enough experience or qualifications and are unfamiliar with the hospital or facility where they have been hired to work.
It is not uncommon for a nurse to be on duty for more than 12 hours and take very short breaks. Nursing fatigue and/or inexperience can be a recipe for disaster, which can result in errors that can seriously injure a patient or jeopardize his/her medical treatment.
Types of Nursing Malpractice:
* Overdosing a patient * Giving the correct medication to the wrong patient * Failure to properly monitor a patient’s condition * Failure to follow the doctor’s orders * Forgetting to give a patient his or her medication * Documentation errors * Failure to notice a dramatic change in a patient’s vitals * Using a medical device incorrectly * Failure to acquire informed consent * Nursing home abuse * Nursing home negligence * Failure to administer a test properly * Dispensing the wrong medication
Errors or failure by a nurse to administer the proper care can cause a patient to become seriously injured, sick, or die. If a nurse acted carelessly, negligently, or made mistakes in providing you or your loved one with the proper medical care, you should speak with an experienced nursing malpractice lawyer that knows how to properly and zealously prosecute your nursing malpractice claim or lawsuit.
Nursing Home Abuse and Negligence
In the United States, thousands of elderly and sick patients live in nursing homes and other special care facilities. Private nurses are hired to care for sick or elderly patients that need full-time care at home. These nurses are supposed to give their patients the medical care and attention that they need. Like doctors, pharmacists, and other medical providers, nurses are supposed to provide their patients with a certain level of care.
Unfortunately, not every nursing or residential care facility abides by this standard of care. There are been many reported and unreported incidents of patients becoming injured, sick, or dying because they have been abused or neglected by a nurse or nursing home facility. Bruises, sexual assault wounds, bedsores, fall injuries, broken bones, severe dehydration, depression, malnutrition, weight loss, and death are some of the injuries that can be inflicted by an abusive or neglectful nurse.
It is vital that you take the necessary steps to remove your loved one from the care facility if you believe that he or she is being abused. Your nursing home abuse attorney can also take the necessary steps to file your nursing abuse claim and begin preparing your case in the event that a lawsuit and trial are required to obtain your loved one’s compensation.
For more information about medical malpractice claims and lawsuits in Illinois, visit our medical malpractice page for more information.
Joseph Klest, Attorney at Law has law offices in Schaumburg and Chicago, Illinois. He can also visit you at home, the hospital, or another care facility if that is more convenient. Call Joseph Klest, Attorney at Law today at (312) 527-2779, (847) 969-9510, or (630) 529-7848 or contact us online.