Baltimore Nursing Negligence and Birth Injuries Lawyers
Hospital nurses play a very important role in the labor and delivery process. It is not uncommon for pregnant women to interact more with the nurses than they do the actual doctors in a hospital. Today, nurses on maternity wards do far more than check blood pressure and bring ice chips to the patient. They are expected to have a high level of expert knowledge and be fully trained in the birthing process. Nurses must also have excellent communication skills, as they are often responsible for keeping the doctor informed about how the labor is progressing.
Due to the fact that nurses play such a crucial role during a birth, it is not uncommon for them to make mistakes and subsequently, be named as defendants in medical malpractice lawsuits. If you or your child has been hurt due to nursing negligence, it is important to speak to a Baltimore nursing negligence lawyer today.
Nursing Negligence vs. Doctor Negligence
Cases involving nursing negligence differ somewhat from those involving doctor negligence. This is due to the fact that the majority of mistakes made by nurses occur during the first stage of labor. It is at this point in the birthing process that the nurses are really in the driver’s seat and are responsible for making important decisions. During the first stage of labor, patients will rarely see the doctor, as they will typically only check in once in a while to see how the patient is progressing.
When it is time to deliver the baby, the doctor will then take over. At this point, it is the doctor that will make the decisions and nurses will simply follow their instructions. Due to the fact that nursing negligence typically occurs very early in the process, it is difficult to determine when a nursing error has resulted in a birth injury.
Types of Nursing Negligence that Result in Birth Injuries
Any mistake made by nurses during labor can result in birth injuries, but there are some types that are more common than others. These include:
- Communication negligence: The most common form of nurse negligence, this occurs when a nurse fails to adequately inform the doctor of changes in the status of the mother or baby, or of complications that arise during the process.
- Failure to ensure sufficient physician care: Even when nurses properly communicate issues to the doctor, they must ensure proper action is taken. For example, if the nurse reported a problem to the doctor but the physician did not take sufficient action, the nurse should then report the issue to another doctor or follow other hospital protocol.
- Medication errors: Nurses often administer medications to women in labor. When they administer the wrong medicine or the wrong dose, it is considered negligence.
- Negligent monitoring: One of the main jobs of nurses during labor and delivery is to property monitor the infant. When they fail to do this or do not notice warning signs and it results in a birth injury, the nurse can be held liable.
Our Birth Injury Lawyers in Baltimore Can Determine Liability
It is not always easy to determine when nursing negligence caused a birth injury. At Wais, Vogelstein, Forman, Koch & Norman, LLC, our Baltimore birth injury lawyers have the necessary experience to determine who is liable for causing harm to a newborn, and will hold them accountable for paying the full damages you deserve. Call us today at 410-998-3600 or contact us online to schedule a free consultation.
