Tragically, there have been many cases over the years where patients who were in dire need of emergency care were left neglected in hospitals. The often devastating consequences of this can involve issues such as worsening symptoms, pain and suffering, and even death. There are several reasons this can happen. Understanding what failure to rescue means understanding when you can sue. Feel free to discuss your situation with an experienced New York City medical malpractice attorney who can help.

What is Failure to Rescue?

A failure to rescue describes incidents where nurses and other medical staff fail to respond to a patient in need of medical attention. The failure to provide medical help to the patient in a timely manner can lead

to severe symptoms and death. Some cases like this might be considered neglect while others could be seen as a failure to respond quickly enough.

Hospitalized patients are often in highly vulnerable states that require consistent monitoring. This is partly why hospitals have patients hooked up to heart rate and breathing devices that trigger alarms when patients are at risk. Nurse call buttons and intercom systems built into hospital beds are designed to respond to potential emergencies.

However, despite some hospitals having large medical teams of nurses, doctors, and other medical professionals, failure to rescue still happens. There are a variety of reasons for this. If you suffered harm or the loss of a loved one from a failure to rescue, you might be able to sue.

It can be helpful to contact a New York City malpractice lawyer to assess your legal options. A lawyer can help you build a strong case with evidence and proper investigation. Going up against the hospital team of lawyers alone can be challenging.

Why Does Failure to Rescue Happen?

Some of the most common causes of failure to rescue are staffing shortages and the overall work environment. Fewer nurses and staff members on-site tend to lead to busier work schedules for each worker with less time available to each patient. During busy moments, nurses may fail to notice a patient in need of immediate medical care.

Work environments that are hectic, disorganized, and stressful are more likely to make workers make mistakes. High stress can make almost anyone miss a patient expressing a need for help. With too many things going on at once, staff members can easily lose track of who needed help.

A lack of cohesion amongst staff members can lead to a breakdown in communication. This is something that might lead to mistakes about which patient needed help and what type of help is needed. Miscommunication also increases the rate of errors when providing emergency assistance.

New York City Medical Malpractice Attorney

Proving malpractice can be intimidating. Contact the Sullivan and Brill Law Firm by dialing (212) 566-1000 to talk to a New York medical malpractice lawyer for a free consultation today. Our Suffolk County attorneys might be able to maximize your compensation for medical bills, emotional distress, and lost wages. We are located throughout New York City, Long Island, Kings, Bronx, Queens, Richmond, Nassau, Suffolk, Westchester, and Rockland Counties, and San Juan, Puerto Rico.