Nursing Malpractice Lawyer in the Greater Cincinnati Region
Experienced Nursing Malpractice Attorneys in Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky
Nurses monitor patients, administer medications, and alert doctors to changes, so they often spot problems first. When that care falls short, a nursing malpractice lawyer in the Greater Cincinnati region can help you find answers.
A missed warning sign or the wrong medication can cause new injuries or worsen an existing condition. Lawrence, Beirne & Lewis holds nurses accountable for this type of harm. As a medical malpractice and birth injury law firm, we serve Cincinnati, Covington, and nearby communities. For 50+ years, our Ohio and Kentucky medical malpractice attorneys have protected injured people, recovering over $100 million for victims and families. Our team includes AV Preeminent®* rated attorneys and attorneys selected to the Super Lawyers® or Rising Stars lists.
If you suspect negligent nursing care harmed you or a family member, call us toll-free at (800) 698-4054, in Kentucky at (859) 578-9130, or in Ohio at (513) 651-4130. You can also use our online contact form to request a free consultation.
Let’s Discuss Your Potential Case
Let’s Discuss Your Potential Case
What Is Nursing Malpractice?
Not every bad outcome is malpractice. Complications happen even when healthcare professionals do everything right. A nursing mistake may support one of several medical malpractice claims. Mistakes qualify as malpractice when a nurse falls below the accepted standard of care, and that departure causes harm. The standard of care reflects what a reasonably careful nurse with similar training would have done in the same situation.
Malpractice cases often require expert testimony to prove negligence. Our breach-of-duty lawyers in Ohio and Kentucky work closely with medical experts. Their professional insight helps us establish the applicable standard of care and determine whether the nurse followed it.
Liability can extend beyond the individual nurse. Hospitals, medical practices, nursing homes, and staffing agencies may be responsible for the nurses they employ or place. Some also face claims for their own failures, such as unsafe staffing or inadequate training.
Nursing Negligence vs. Nursing Malpractice
Negligence is the broader legal concept of failing to use reasonable care. Nursing malpractice is professional negligence. It occurs when a licensed nurse falls short of professional standards while providing medical care. As a result, they cause or contribute to harm.
The nurse’s specific professional responsibilities can affect the type of claim you qualify for. Registered nurses, licensed practical nurses, and nurse practitioners have different scopes of practice. These are set by the Ohio Board of Nursing and the Kentucky Board of Nursing. An injury alone does not prove malpractice. It is only malpractice if it was caused by a professional nurse performing duties within their scope of practice.
Nursing Errors Can Cause Serious Patient Harm
Many nursing errors start small. A skipped reassessment, an unclear handoff at shift change, or an incomplete chart entry may not seem dangerous at first. For a patient who needs prompt attention, though, even a short delay can be critical. Such issues may allow sepsis, internal bleeding, respiratory distress, or other conditions to progress.
Documentation, communication, monitoring, and treatment are closely linked. When a nurse fails to record a symptom, the next provider may never learn about it. Poor communication with doctors can keep a patient from necessary care. Nurses miss symptoms altogether when they fail to monitor a patient properly. Any of these mistakes can delay treatment or result in inaccurate care.
The Many Forms of Nurse Negligence
Some of the most harmful nursing mistakes involve routine tasks that nurses perform many times each shift. Since these duties feel familiar, oversights can slip in, and patients bear the consequences. Common examples include:
- Failing to monitor vital signs or symptoms
- Failing to report changes in a patient’s condition
- Ignoring physician orders
- Failure to follow established safety protocols
- Inadequate fall precautions
- Improper wound care
- Failing to prevent pressure injuries
- Improper use of medical equipment
- Delays in providing emergency assistance
Our skilled Greater Cincinnati malpractice attorneys examine how these errors connect to injuries or worsening conditions. We help determine whether proper nursing care would have changed the outcome.
Medication Errors in Nursing
Administering medications correctly is one of a nurse’s most important duties. Giving an incorrect dosage, the wrong medication, or medicine to the wrong patient can have serious consequences. Nurses may cause harm by delaying medication, missing doses, or using improper administration methods. Other potential mistakes include overlooking known allergies or failing to watch for adverse reactions.
Overdose, dangerous drug interactions, organ damage, and severe allergic reactions are just a few potential consequences. For help from a medication mistake or medication overdose lawyer in Ohio and Kentucky, call our team.
Common Types of Nursing Malpractice Cases
Malpractice cases can target nursing errors in any medical setting. This includes hospitals, emergency departments, surgical units, maternity wards, rehabilitation facilities, and outpatient clinics. Our Ohio malpractice lawyers pursue claims against medical facilities in Hamilton, Butler, Warren, and Clermont counties. We also handle cases throughout Northern Kentucky. Choose our KY malpractice attorneys for representation in Kenton, Boone, and Campbell counties.
Malpractice in Nursing During Hospital Care
Nursing malpractice can occur at any point during a hospital stay. At admission, nurses gather the history and medication lists that guide later decisions. Bedside care involves routine assessments and responding to call lights. After surgery, nurses watch for bleeding, infection, and breathing problems. At discharge, they explain the instructions patients rely on at home. In an Ohio or Kentucky emergency room, triage nurses help decide how quickly to see a patient.
No matter the issue or setting, Lawrence, Beirne & Lewis provides experienced representation. In addition to claims against nurses, our hospital mistake attorneys in Ohio and Kentucky handle claims against negligent facilities.
Registered Nurse Malpractice
Registered nurses handle patient assessment, ongoing monitoring, medication administration, and documentation. They also communicate important matters with the care team and carry out treatment orders. Negligence in any of these duties constitutes malpractice.
Many registered nurse malpractice claims involve failing to recognize or report deterioration. For example, an RN may note a drop in blood pressure but fail to escalate the patient’s care. This can allow a treatable problem to become a crisis.
Nurse Practitioner Malpractice
Nurse practitioners often serve as a patient’s primary provider. That expanded role brings expanded responsibility. They may diagnose conditions, order tests, prescribe medication, and manage treatment. Nurse practitioner malpractice may involve a wide range of errors. Common examples include medication errors or inadequate follow-up care. They may also be responsible for harm resulting from failing to order testing or refer to a specialist. Our misdiagnosis and failure-to-diagnose attorneys handle claims targeting nurse practitioners.
Nurse Anesthetist Malpractice
Certified registered nurse anesthetists (CRNAs) administer anesthesia and monitor patients before, during, and after procedures. Our Cincinnati and Covington anesthesia mistake lawyers pursue legal action for cases involving incorrect dosage and missed complications. We also hold CRNAs responsible for other crucial errors. This can include inadequate oxygen monitoring, airway management errors, poor recovery monitoring, or medication mistakes.
Negligence in Nursing During Pregnancy and Childbirth
Pregnancy care, labor, and delivery nurses play a central role in keeping mothers and babies safe. Nurses should monitor fetal heart rate and look for other signs of fetal distress before and during labor. Failure to complete these duties or to communicate concerning findings to a physician is a form of negligence. Delays in essential care also put the mother and infant at risk. For example, nurses may respond slowly to maternal bleeding or abnormal vital signs.
Malpractice may also occur after delivery. Medical care and monitoring are very important during an infant’s first 28 days of life. Our neonatal malpractice attorneys pursue claims against nurses who fail to offer adequate care to newborns.
Nursing Negligence Cases Involving Failure to Monitor a Patient
Monitoring patient health is one of a nurse’s primary responsibilities. By constantly looking for warning signs, they can respond quickly with appropriate care. Nurses monitor changes in blood pressure, oxygen levels, and heart rate. They look out for neurological symptoms, signs of infection, and changes in consciousness. When symptoms or concerning developments go undocumented or unreported, doctors cannot offer proper treatment.
Malpractice in Nursing Homes
Malpractice in nursing homes may involve licensed nurses and other providers responsible for giving residents adequate care. Potential issues include medication mistakes, inadequate wound care, and untreated pressure injuries. Malpractice cases can arise due to improper responses to falls, missed infections, and delayed medical treatment.
These professional errors differ from broader nursing home neglect and abuse by non-medical staff. However, our team recognizes that nursing home malpractice and non-medical negligence cases sometimes overlap. Our Covington and Cincinnati nursing home abuse lawyers investigate both types of claims.
Injuries That May Result From Negligent Nurses
The consequences of nursing negligence vary from case to case. Potential outcomes include:
- Brain injuries caused by oxygen deprivation
- Permanent neurological damage
- Infections and sepsis
- Medication-related injuries
- Organ damage
- Falls and fractures
- Pressure injuries
- Birth injuries
Injuries and health complications may lead to longer recovery periods, permanent disability, or even death. In fatal cases, surviving family members may be able to pursue a claim. Speak with our Northern Kentucky and Cincinnati wrongful death attorneys to learn more.
How Do You Prove a Nursing Medical Malpractice Case?
The four legal elements of negligence are duty, breach, causation, and damages. Nursing malpractice cases require proof that the nurse owed a duty of care. You must establish the standard of care and how the nurse departed from it. Then, you must show how the nurse’s negligence caused harm and the resulting damages.
Lawrence, Beirne & Lewis reviews cases closely for proof of all four elements. We may investigate issues such as:
- The applicable standard of nursing care
- What the nurse did or did not do
- Medical records and nursing notes
- Medication administration records
- Hospital policies, procedures
- Staffing records
- Communications between nurses, doctors, and other providers
In Ohio, a medical claim generally must include an affidavit of merit from a qualified expert. Kentucky has its own certificate-of-merit requirement. Deadlines are short. Ohio generally requires filing within one year, subject to limited extensions and exceptions, under R.C. 2305.113. Kentucky also sets a one-year limitations period. This period typically begins when the injury was discovered or reasonably should have been discovered. Lawrence, Beirne & Lewis will ensure you meet affidavit requirements and file your claim by the deadline.
What Compensation May Be Available in a Nursing Negligence Claim?
Compensation depends heavily on case-specific circumstances. Generally, recoverable damages can include the following.
Type of Damages | What They May Cover |
Economic damages | Past and future medical treatment, rehabilitation and therapy, long-term care, lost wages, and reduced earning ability |
Non-economic damages | Pain and suffering, emotional distress, and losses tied to permanent disability |
Wrongful death damages | Losses to surviving family members, such as lost financial support, lost companionship, and funeral expenses |
Ohio limits non-economic damages in many medical claims under R.C. 2323.43, with higher limits for certain catastrophic injuries. Kentucky’s constitution, by contrast, prohibits laws that cap damages for personal injury or death.
How a Nurse Malpractice Lawyer Can Investigate Your Claim
Successful claims depend on a close review of all relevant evidence. Our Greater Cincinnati attorneys investigate every record and identify every provider involved. We consult appropriate medical experts to determine how nurses failed to meet the standard of care.
From there, we assess potential claims against individual nurses and the healthcare organizations. Our team then pursues compensation through settlement negotiations. When needed, we also provide skilled litigation. Our attorneys have experience in the Hamilton County Court of Common Pleas, the Kenton County Circuit Court, and other nearby county courts. We keep you informed throughout the legal process.
Why Work With the Nursing Malpractice Lawyers at Lawrence, Beirne & Lewis?
Medical malpractice and birth injury cases are the center of our firm’s work. Since 1971, Lawrence, Beirne & Lewis has represented injured patients harmed by negligent providers. We’ve built a proven track record that includes over $100 million recovered for injury victims and their families. Our familiarity with medical malpractice law means we’re well-prepared to advocate on your behalf.
Our attorneys, including Jennifer Lawrence, Patrick J. Beirne, and Robert D. Lewis, give every client individual attention. They build each case through careful investigation, strong medical evidence, and litigation preparation. Our offices are conveniently located on Montgomery Road in Cincinnati and Madison Avenue in Covington. We represent clients throughout Southwest Ohio, Northern Kentucky, and surrounding communities.
Schedule a Free Consultation With an Experienced Covington or Cincinnati Nursing Malpractice Attorney Today
A single mistake a nurse makes can change a patient’s life and place lasting strain on a family. You deserve clear answers about what happened, and your family deserves a chance at justice. Seek help from an experienced nursing malpractice attorney. Ohio and Kentucky clients rely on Lawrence, Beirne & Lewis. Our team will consider the care provided and explain your options.
Call our Ohio office at (513) 651-4130, our Kentucky office at (859) 578-9130, or toll-free at (800) 698-4054. You can also contact us online to schedule your free consultation. If you choose to hire us, we will represent you on a contingency fee basis. You pay no attorney’s fees unless we recover compensation for you.
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