Nurses play a pivotal role in today’s hospitals. They are responsible for monitoring patients and paying close attention to their condition. Nurses are typically charged with issuing patients their medication. Attention to detail is absolutely critical when performing this task. If a patient receives the wrong medicine or an incorrect dosage, the results could be tragic.
Fortunately, most nurses are aware of the seriousness of their responsibilities. They have been trained to follow proper procedures when giving their patients medication. The following are actions that nurses can take to ensure patient safety:
- Be sure that patient medication lists are kept up-to-date.
- Check with patients about any allergies or reactions they may have prior to issuing medications.
- Make sure that height and weight measurements are correct.
- Prior to issuing medications, take note of any critical diagnoses or conditions that patients may have.
- Make sure that the correct medication is being issued to the right person by looking for patient-specific identifiers.
It is imperative that nurses focus on the needs of patients. As such, nurses cannot allow themselves to become distracted when performing their duties. And this is especially critical when it comes to administering medications where errors can be fatal. But sadly, there have been serious medical events that were caused by inattentive nurses failing to follow procedures or observe clear signs of a patient’s changing condition.
If you or someone you love was seriously injured due to what may have been a negligent act on behalf of a nurse, an Indiana medical malpractice attorney may be able to get you the compensation you need for treatment. Getting the full story behind an error committed by the member of hospital staff can be challenging. An attorney can use his or her knowledge of the healthcare industry to get the truth.