The nurses and other care providers working in hospitals play a crucial role in the recovery of the patients there. They monitor people’s conditions and administer treatments, like medications. They also serve as a conduit for crucial information, as they can relay messages from the doctor to the patients and vice versa.
Sadly, mistakes are common during drug administration, information sharing and medical observation in modern medical facilities. Distraction is one of the leading causes of adverse patient outcomes in a hospital setting, especially when it comes to medication mistakes.
There are many sources of distraction in modern hospitals
There aren’t always enough professionals on hand to quickly deal with all of the patient care needs in a specific ward at a hospital, which means that nurses may need to multitask. Patients and their family members could distract a nurse who is in the process of handing out medications to others, for example.
There could also be emergency calls and intercom announcements that temporarily take someone’s mind off of their job and lead to a preventable and potentially catastrophic mistake. No matter how experienced a nurse or other healthcare professional may be, they can still forget details and make improper decisions when dealing with distractions and high levels of mental stress.
When someone providing medical care for you or a member of your family forgets something or makes a major error because of distraction on the job, their error may lead to a medical malpractice claim. Understanding the causes of modern medical malpractice can help you understand why mistakes might happen even in a very clean facility.
