Failure to Seek Medical Evaluation
Nursing homes are not places where old people are simply left to die, although it does often seem like that to the outside world. Staff members provide nursing care to patients to maximize their health and quality of life.
This requires regularly monitoring and assessing the health of residents and reporting any changes to doctors. When nursing home staff fail to refer a resident for further evaluation when medically necessary, this is called failure to seek medical evaluation. A nursing home can be held liable for any harm caused by negligence or delay.
If your loved one suffered from a worsened condition due to a lack of medical care, seek legal help from Allen Law Firm. Our lawyer can assess your situation and help you file a claim.
Change in Medical Condition
Whenever a staff member notices a change in a resident’s medical condition, a medical evaluation should be performed. This can help with diagnosis and treatment, or at the very least, refer the patient to specialists or other facilities for follow-up testing.
Any concerns should be reported to the attending physician at the facility. They can determine whether the patient should be treated or referred to another doctor.
Once a change in health is noticed, staff members and doctors need to take swift action.
A delayed diagnosis due to a failure to seek a medical evaluation can have serious effects, including a deterioration of health, a long recovery period, pain and discomfort, and a decreased quality of life.
Understanding Pain
When determining whether or not a nursing home patient is in need of a medical evaluation, staff members should be trained to look for signs of pain. Pain is a symptom of some sort of underlying illness or other medical condition. While pain should be treated to relieve the patient’s discomfort, it’s also important to identify the source of the pain. This can be done through a proper medical evaluation.
Understanding pain can be difficult when the nursing home resident is nonverbal. Therefore, it’s important to look for signs of pain, such as:
- Pained facial expressions
- Sudden, intermittent cries
- Rigid muscles
- Depression
- Anger
- Fear
- General decline in physical and mental health
Changes in weight, while not always associated with pain, may also trigger the need for medical evaluation. Weight loss or weight gain may be signs of a medical condition or a reaction to a medication.
Contact Allen Law Firm Today
When a nursing home resident is injured or suddenly experiences a worsened condition, they need to seek medical treatment promptly. When a staff member fails to seek medical care for a patient, they can be charged with neglect.
An untreated medical condition can be fatal. Allen Law Firm will treat your claim seriously with the compassion you deserve. Schedule a free consultation with a Monterey failure to seek medical evaluation lawyer today by filling out the online form or calling (831) 901-3901.
