Failure to Monitor a Patient’s Condition Lawsuit

Do I Have a Case?

Do I Have a Case?

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Hospital lawsuit attorneys

Serious medical injuries can happen even under the supervision of medical professionals at hospitals and elder care facilities. Oftentimes, victims suffer harm because a member of the health care provider’s staff failed to properly monitor a patient in accordance with the individual’s care needs.

When patients suffer harm due to a doctor’s negligence, victims have the legal right to hold wrongdoers accountable and recover compensation for damages. At The Cochran Firm, D.C., our medical malpractice lawyers understand the hardships victims go through and will work tirelessly to help ensure justice is served.

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When are important times doctors need to monitor patients?

Failure to monitor lawsuits rely on the same principles as other medical malpractice claims alleging physicians violated the standard of care. Under the standard of care doctrine, attending physicians must administer the same type of care other physicians in the same expertise would perform in similar situations.
Generally, healthcare facilities have policies in place regarding how doctors need to monitor patients in key situations. Even in the absence of such policies, physicians are nonetheless obligated to treat patients in a manner consistent with the medical standard of care.

While each case is different, examples of common failure to monitor lawsuits include situations such as:

  • Before and After surgery - Surgeons need to keep a close eye on a patient’s vital signs like body temperature, heart rate, pulse, and oxygen saturation
  • Mothers in labor - Fetal heartbeat is a key indicator of the health and wellness of mother to be and unborn child
  • After anesthesia - Administering too much or too little anesthesia
  • Undergoing medical treatment - Doctors need to monitor patients for side effects while administering any type of medical treatment
  • When under observation - Certain health conditions explicitly call for health care providers to constantly supervise patients and nursing home residents to prevent harm

Whether a hospital’s internal policy for monitoring patients is flawed, staff did not follow accepted procedure, or the standard of care was violated, patients have legal recourse to recover compensation for medical negligence. An experienced Washington DC medical malpractice lawyer should have access to experts in the field practicing and teaching medicine who can hold validate meritorious claims.

Who can be held responsible for failing to monitor a patient?

Depending on who has contact with a patient during the course of medical treatment, many different parties may be held responsible for failing to monitor a patient. Oftentimes, defendants attempt to avoid their liability by denying certain healthcare staff came in contact with a patient prior to a medical episode.

Types of parties in failure to warn of medical malpractice lawsuits:

  • Doctors - Not noticing changes in condition over course of treatment
  • Surgeons - Not monitoring vital signs during surgical procedure
  • Anesthesiologists - Administering too much or too little anesthesia
  • Nurses - Does not notice complications with patient
  • OB/GYN - Fails to detect signs of fetal distress
  • Staff - Leaves unstable patients unsupervised

What type of claim do I have against the hospital for failure to monitor?

Medical malpractice lawsuits against hospitals need to prove four key elements to succeed in court and recover compensation. The elements of a failure to monitor a patient lawsuit are:

  • Duty - The physician had a doctor-patient relationship with the plaintiff and owed a legal duty to deliver medical treatment consistent with the medical standard of care
  • Breach - At some point, the doctor committed negligence by deviating from common medical practice
  • Cause - The patient suffered an injury as a proximate and direct cause of the physician’s breach from the standard of care
  • Damages - The resulting injury caused the victim to suffer damages such as pain and suffering, lost wages, additional medical bills

An experienced attorney should have the skill and dedication to prove all four elements in a medical malpractice lawsuit and help secure the vital compensation victims and families need to live with dignity. While hospitals and doctors may attempt to skirt responsibility for their indifference to public safety, our attorneys work hard to ensure justice is served.

Medical malpractice attorney in Washington DC

If you or a loved one suffered a serious injury because a hospital failed to properly monitor your condition, contact our office to speak with a medical malpractice attorney in Washington, DC. Our office offers free legal consultations with clients to discuss their case and we never collect any legal fees until we win your case.

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The Cochran Firm handles Medical Malpractice, Catastrophic Personal Injuries, Motor Vehicle Accidents & Wrongful Death Claims for clients throughout the United States of America. The information on this website does not constitute legal advice nor form an attorney-client relationship. Please contact The Cochran Firm today to schedule a free consultation.
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