Nurses General Nursing
Published Sep 22, 2015
Texasnurse81
6 Posts
Had a patient fall shortly after shift change . No bed alarm was on and the patient was injured. Family is planning to sue, wondering if anybody has gone through this, and what to expect . I do not have malpractice insurance . Wondering also if you have any recommendations for malpractice insurance. I know it won't help me now but I wish I had had it sooner. Thank you!
CBlover, BSN, RN
419 Posts
A lot of families threaten, but when it gets right down to it, they'll change their minds. I don't have any advice to give, I just hope the family cools off and goes on.
RN403, BSN, RN
1 Article; 1,068 Posts
Talk to risk management....NSO is a good company for malpractice insurance for future reference.
calivianya, BSN, RN
2,418 Posts
I use Proliability. They offer discounts for membership in several organizations, so if you're a member of your specialty's professional organization, they're worth checking out. I got one for being an AACN member.
mmc51264, BSN, MSN, RN
3,236 Posts
you may not get insurance if you look for it after the fact
rheath22
39 Posts
Is it in ALF or skilled? I know in ALF it's in the contract that they are not with staff 24/7 so there is the disclaimer. I'm not sure about skilled or the hospital.
It's with a hospital
nynursey_
642 Posts
I'm not sure there's any legal leg. Falls can happen with or with bed alarms on regardless. How much injury to the patient?
I went through something very similar and in the end the family accepted the hospital's apology and moved on. I think they more wanted the ass-kissing that went along with it in the aftermath.
The patient sustained subdural hematoma with no deficit
MunoRN, RN
8,058 Posts
If there was good evidence that the fall could have been prevented with a bed alarm then they might have a case, but the overall evidence says that bed alarms don't prevent falls.
Sun0408, ASN, RN
1,761 Posts
I wonder what the fall rate is for staff running to a bed alarm?? As for insurance, I have NSO