Nurses play many important roles in labor and delivery; many families can
remember an especially helpful or kind nurse who helped make a baby’s
entrance into the world a little easier. However, just as there are many
dedicated and responsible nurses, there are also instances of
nursing negligence that can harm an expecting mother or her baby. When a family has been
affected by sub-standard nursing, is it possible to file a complaint against
a nurse in Texas?
First, former patients and families should know that a Houston attorney
can assist with holding nurses who have harmed patients accountable for
their actions. In addition, the Texas Board of Nursing offers a way in
which patients can submit a complaint against a specific nurse. An individual
complaint form can be filled-out; the form is available online or it can
be requested and mailed. A complaint may also be made via plain paper.
If using the form, a description of the incident is requested as well
as a listing of any witness accounts of the incident.
Typically, complaints submitted to the state board of nursing involve suspected
violations of the Nursing Practice Act. These violations may include non-professional
conduct, unnecessarily putting a patient in harm’s way, not adequately
caring for a patient, being impaired due to mental illness or chemical
dependency and not conforming to the minimum standards set forth by the
Texas code.
The Texas Board of Nursing keeps complaints confidential during the course
of its investigation. If a nurse is disciplined, the nurse does not know
the identity of the complainant. The one exception is if the complainant
must testify. Since nursing errors can be extremely serious, such as failure
to monitor patients who are pregnant or failure to treat infection, a
malpractice attorney can be a valuable resource in the complaint process.
Source: Texas Board of Nursing, “Discipline & Complaints – How to File a Complaint,” Accessed May 31, 2015