Liability of Nursing Homes for Failure to Implement A Physician’s Orders

Do you worry about the quality of care your elderly relative is receiving in a nursing facility? Then you certainly are not alone. Residents in nursing homes are entitled to the highest standard of care possible under the law. Following a resident's doctor's orders for care is an essential part of providing a quality service that satisfies federal and state regulations. The consequences of a nursing home's disobedience to a doctor's directives for a resident can be devastating. If this happens to you, contact a Wisconsin personal injury lawyer.

What Does It Mean to Disobey a Doctor's Orders?

A physician's instructions for a patient's care may specify various aspects of that care, from the specific procedures to be performed to the precise dosages of any medications to be given. Nursing homes are responsible to their residents to provide care that meets or exceeds state and federal requirements. That means carrying out a doctor's directives when it comes to a patient's care.

How Would I Know When a Nursing Home Fails to Follow a Doctor's Orders?

There is no denying the difficulty of establishing assertions like these. They are not necessarily possible, though. Regular visits or video chats can assist if you can not physically be there for your loved one. This will allow you to detect changes in their condition or behavior more rapidly.

Things to keep an eye out for are:

• Their behavior has changed abruptly
• Abnormal changes in body weight (or increase)
• Chronic plummeting down
• Sores that form on one's bed
• Abnormal inability to express oneself

You should take swift action if you feel your loved one is being neglected in a nursing home because they are not receiving the medication or care their doctor prescribed. Get in touch with the nursing home's administration to have them investigate, and then consult a lawyer.

What Evidence Do I Need to Show That a Nursing Home Ignores My Doctor's Orders?

The onus of proof is always on the victim, his or her family, or their legal representative. Taking legal action without professional assistance is a bad idea in this case. In Wisconsin, a lawsuit involving nursing home negligence might benefit substantially from the representation of an attorney with the requisite level of expertise.

Your attorney will need to show the following to win your case:

• Your loved one was entitled to reasonable care from the nursing facility.
• This obligation was broken when they disregarded your family member's needs.
• This violation caused harm to your loved one. Because of this, your family member was hurt.