Failure To Monitor

Healthcare providers owe patients a duty of care which includes the duty to monitor symptoms, behavior, treatment, or progress, as appropriate. A failure to monitor a patient can lead to catastrophic consequences - the new mother who suffers a stroke when her blood pressure goes unchecked and untreated, the baby born with cerebral palsy because the delivery team did not monitor fetal blood oxygen levels, or the high risk post-operative patient who suffers a pulmonary embolism (P.E.) when medical staff failed to monitor the patient's movement, leg elevation, or use of compression stockings. If a medical provider fails to properly monitor a patient, the provider may be liable to the patient or family for the harm that they cause. A healthcare provider's failure to monitor is one of many types of medical malpractice claims.