Nursing Negligence Lawyer in Massachusetts

Nursing Negligence and Medical Malpractice

Registered nurses and licensed practical nurses are healthcare professionals with their own independent professional obligations to patients. Their standard of care is defined by what a reasonably competent nurse with the same education and experience would do in the same situation. When a nurse departs from this standard, by failing to monitor a patient’s condition appropriately, by administering medication incorrectly, by failing to recognize and report deteriorating vital signs, or by failing to advocate for a patient who needs physician assessment, that departure may constitute nursing negligence. Attorney Jeffrey C. Lavey represents nursing negligence victims throughout Massachusetts.

Common Nursing Negligence Scenarios

• Failure to monitor vital signs at required intervals and act on abnormal findings
• Medication administration errors: wrong drug, wrong dose, wrong patient, wrong route
• Failure to recognize and report signs of patient deterioration to the physician
• Failure to implement required fall prevention measures for identified fall-risk patients
• Failure to properly assess and document wound conditions and implement wound care
• Failure to follow physician orders appropriately
• Inadequate patient education about discharge instructions and warning signs

The Nurse’s Duty to Advocate

One of the most important and distinctive aspects of nursing professional responsibility is the duty to advocate for the patient when the physician’s care plan appears inadequate. A nurse who recognizes that a patient’s condition has changed significantly, or that the physician’s orders are not appropriate for the patient’s current condition, has an obligation to communicate those concerns to the physician and to escalate through the chain of command if the physician does not respond appropriately. A failure to advocate that allows a patient to deteriorate without physician reassessment may constitute nursing negligence.

Hospital Liability for Nursing Negligence

Hospitals are vicariously liable for the negligent acts of employed nurses committed within the scope of their employment. In virtually all inpatient settings, nurses are hospital employees. When a nurse commits a negligent act in the course of patient care, the hospital bears liability alongside the nurse as an individual provider. The hospital may also bear direct liability for inadequate nurse staffing levels, inadequate nurse training, or inadequate supervision policies that contributed to the nursing negligence. Attorney Lavey evaluates both individual and institutional liability in every nursing negligence case.

Compensation for Nursing Negligence Victims

Nursing negligence compensation covers all medical expenses incurred in treating the harm caused by the negligence, all lost wages during treatment and recovery, pain and suffering from the resulting injury, and future medical costs for lasting consequences. Attorney Lavey pursues every element of compensation against the responsible nurse and the employing institution in every nursing negligence malpractice case.

Frequently Asked Questions