According to the CDC, about one-quarter of those 65 or older slip and fall at least once a year. Every year, the emergency rooms of hospitals throughout the country serve over 3 million senior patients who have been injured in a fall.
A fall might have severe ramifications if someone is fragile due to a disease or old age. Regrettably, not all doctor’s offices and nursing homes take the necessary safeguards to keep their residents and patients safe from falls. Falls involving nursing home patients frequently result in catastrophic injuries, including fissures, bone fractures, and even death, due to the vulnerable condition of the individuals.
Malpractice and Negligence in the Nursing Home
The main contrast between medical malpractice and nursing home negligence instances is that one is not reliant on the patient’s health or medical care, while the other is. If a doctor-patient duty of care is breached, the situation is considered malpractice. In negligence cases, the management maintained the institution in such a sorry state that anybody, regardless of their health or whether they were a client or not, may have fallen.
The following are examples of fall-related negligence:
● They paid insufficient attention to the patient’s medical requirements.
● Residents were not protected by wet floor warnings or railings, for example.
● There was inadequate illumination in the pathways, making it difficult for the residents to see.
● Walkways that are left with tripping hazards
● The lack of mobility equipment in the facility
● Bathrooms without non-slip flooring and handrails on the sidewalls or within the shower
A nursing home fall that might be considered medical malpractice includes the following examples:
Misdiagnosis or failure to diagnose
When a patient’s perplexity and reduced movement result from a stroke or other devastating event, a doctor can miss it. Patients are at risk of falling because they are put on beds without proper railings or are otherwise unsupervised.
Several factors contribute to a hospital environment prone to falls caused by medical malpractice. Here are a few examples that prove it:
Polypharmacy
When a resident is given many drugs simultaneously, their combination causes adverse effects that lead the patient to become shaky or imbalanced, resulting in a fall.
An error in the evaluation of a client’s fall risk
When a resident complains of dizziness or loss of coordination, but the institution does little to help them avoid a trip and fall.
Medical malpractice or negligence may also occur when a patient:
● Falls and fractures their hip on a freshly washed floor, with no warning sign that the surface is slick.
● Falls in a stair while grasping the handrail, which separates from the wall.
● Falls from their bed due to faulty guardrail
● Uses a medication whose directions failed to warn of the adverse effect of dizziness,
● Despairs and hangs himself from a balcony of the nursing home. If the physician could not notice depression, they might have committed medical malpractice.
● Falls when their walker breaks: If the hospital gave them the wrong kind of walker, they could have a case for medical malpractice.
If You or a Loved One Were Injured Due to a Nursing Home Fall, Call Our Lawyers for Help
Falls are a typical occurrence in nursing homes. However, it is the responsibility of these facilities, personnel, and management to keep residents safe from falls. The danger of a resident falling is routinely evaluated upon admission, and a policy is put in place to limit that risk. If a resident falls, the nursing home staff must decide if any changes are required to avoid future falls and to satisfy any additional needs stemming from the first occurrence. If you or a loved one have been injured due to a nursing home fall, contact an expert attorney today using our directory located here at Medical Malpractice Universe.