Traditionally, nurses in Oregon and around the world are thought of as physician assistants and the daily caretakers of medical patients. However, in today’s world of health care, nurses are tasked with so much more. From sorting medications and electronically charting symptoms to just being there for emotional support, it’s no secret that nurses play a vital and crucial role in the lives of their patients. However, since nurses today are responsible for such a wide range of duties, it is becoming more and more likely for nursing errors to occur.
A woman in another state filed a lawsuit against a hospital after an error in her insulin dose allegedly deteriorated her condition and sent her to intensive care. The suit says that the plaintiff was a patient at the defendant’s facility and was injected with a dose of insulin that was too high. According to the lawsuit, the excessive insulin dose caused the plaintiff to lose consciousness and resulted in hypoglycemia.
The woman also claims that she had to be intubated and placed in the intensive care unit. The plaintiff holds the hospital responsible for the alleged substandard care. Due to the alleged error, the plaintiff claims she has sustained significant financial losses due to her accrued medical expenses. She seeks all reasonable and fair damages in the lawsuit.
Nurses are the unsung heroes of the medical world. Unfortunately, due to the shortage of nurses today, these medical professionals are often overworked and understaffed. Nurses are human so mistakes will happen. Those in Oregon that have suffered injury or the loss of a loved due to nursing errors may be able to pursue legal action. A successfully litigated lawsuit could provide a sense of justice as well as much-needed financial relief.
Source: wvrecord.com, “Former Cabell Huntington Hospital patient says she was given excessive dose of insulin“, Lhalie Castillo, March 13, 2018