Most of us have experienced the frustration of understaffing, whether as customers waiting at a counter to be served, or as employees with tasks flying at us faster than we can field them. And no matter which end you are on, you know that being short-staffed leads to mistakes. In a sandwich shop, those mistakes can be irritating. In a medical setting, they can be deadly.
Understaffing leading to medical malpractice is a growing problem, particularly in the wake of the Covid epidemic that led to burnout in nurses and other providers. Learn how to protect yourself in medical settings if possible, and what to do if you or a loved one is a victim of an injury caused by staff shortages in a hospital, clinic, or doctor’s office.
When tasks in a medical setting are urgent, and there’s not enough time to give each one the attention it deserves, patients can get shortchanged—and seriously injured. Here are some of the ways medical malpractice can happen:
Medication error malpractice can happen in multiple ways: a hurried doctor can scrawl an illegible prescription which is then misinterpreted by the pharmacist; a pharmacist who is overburdened may fill a prescription with the wrong medicine or dosage; nurses with too many patients to tend to may make a mistake in administering meds, giving the wrong type or amount of medicine, or failing to administer medication at the right time.
In hospitals, when there are not enough staff to promptly address patient needs, there may be an unacceptable response time to emergencies or a failure to keep ahead of and adequately manage pain. In the best case scenario, this may lead to unnecessary patient suffering; in the worst, it can result in an avoidable death.
In long-term care facilities and hospitals, many patients have mobility issues. Patients may fall or injure themselves when they feel unable to wait any longer for staff to assist them; this often happens when a patient needs to use the restroom, for instance.
Medical malpractice caused by understaffing can be especially dangerous in settings like the intensive care unit (ICU) or post-operative recovery where patients need especially close monitoring. Patients can experience serious complications that might have been prevented or reversed if detected by appropriate monitoring.
Thorough cleaning of hands, instruments, and linens are essential to prevent the spread of infection in hospitals, where already-frail patients may be especially vulnerable. Overtasked medical providers and support staff may not spend the necessary time cleaning their hands or other materials, allowing infection to spread.
When it’s “all hands on deck,” especially in an overflowing emergency room or hospital floor, team members may find themselves pressed into service in tasks for which they are not adequately trained. This can lead to intubation errors and other medical mistakes in the ER.
Understaffing is not only a problem in hospitals. Nursing homes and rehab facilities often experience staff shortages, which means that patients’ basic needs may go unmet. Patients who are not cleaned and turned as needed can suffer bedsores and other complications that might have been avoided with adequate care.
These are only a few of the many instances of understaffing leading to medical malpractice or negligence claims. The truth is that just about any area of a hospital or other medical facility can experience problems with low staff and medical malpractice.
Unfortunately, you can’t do anything about the staffing level of your local medical providers, but there are still ways to protect yourself or your loved one. If you have a choice of facilities, be sure to research the provider ahead of time. You may be able to look up information like nurse-to-patient ratios on state databases or through Medicare’s Hospital Compare. Read online reviews and ratings of hospitals, paying close attention to when reviews were written; things can change over time. Look for hospitals that are accredited by the Joint Commission or have magnet status certification from the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC).
You may not be able to select your own care facility, but you can still take protective measures. Have a patient advocate such as a friend or family member with you, if possible; they can ask questions, take notes and be the “squeaky wheel” that gets attention for you when needed. Even if you don’t have someone to act in this capacity, you can be an active participant in your care: double-check treatments and medications, ask questions and communicate clearly with staff, and don’t hesitate to speak up (repeatedly, if necessary) if something seems wrong.
You should be able to count on your medical care providers to keep you safe, and while it’s a good idea to protect yourself with the measures listed above, it is not your fault if a staffing shortage causes you to suffer an injury. If you suspect your injury in a medical setting was due to inadequate staffing, you may be entitled to compensation. Contact the Fraser Law Firm to explore your options.
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