Nobody wants to lose a loved one through suicide. It absolutely hurts to know that a family member chose to take their own life. It’s especially devastating when it could have been prevented.
Many suicides happen in hospitals and mental health facilities. These deaths should not happen. Medical professionals are supposed to protect the lives of patients as much as possible. When a patient is at risk, doctors and nurses need to take reasonable steps to prevent the suicide from happening. When they ignore the signs, they can face malpractice lawsuits.
Doctors have a lot on their plates. Their main goal is to keep patients alive through all means possible. If a medical professional failed to do enough to keep your loved one from committing suicide, then you may be able to file a legal claim. A Baltimore preventable suicide lawyer from Furman | Honick Law can help you get justice and closure for your loss.
What Can Lead to Suicide?
Hospital and mental facility workers need to be aware of the signs that suicide is immiment. Here are some situations that can lead to a preventable suicide:
- Failure to communicate with the patient’s family
- Incorrect diagnosis of mental health illnesses
- Not reacting to signs of distress or requests for help
- Not properly identifying risk factors
- Failure to make appropriate arrangements for someone who is at risk for suicide
- Allowing a patient access to weapons or drugs
- Prematurely discharging patients from hospital
- Not providing appropriate treatment or medication
- Failure to prepare adequate after-treatment care plans
- Shortages of beds in inpatient facilities
What Providers Can Do
Medical providers need to be proactive in preventing suicide. Intervention will be needed to some degree. The amount of intervention needed will depend on if the patient is low risk or high risk. The provider should assess the patient and determine what changes need to be made. Are more visits needed? In many cases, the treatment plan will need to be updated with new medications or treatments.
If the person is high risk, more steps will be needed. The provider should contact the patient’s family and inform them about the risk of suicide. The family members will need to remove any lethal items such as knives or firearms. In extreme cases, the patient will need to be hospitalized or involuntarily committed.
When the patient is already hospitalized due to suicidal thoughts, providers must ensure the suicide does not occur. Sadly, they do still occur, usually by hanging. Therefore, staff need to restrict the patient’s access to lethal means and monitor them constantly.
Contact Furman | Honick Law Today
Doctors, nurses, and other medical staff have a duty to protect life. When they fail to prevent suicide, it can cause a lot of grief for family members.
The team at Furman | Honick Law can help you get justice as you deal with the grief. Let our experienced team handle your case. Contact us today to schedule a free consultation with a Baltimore preventable suicide lawyer. Call (410) 844-6000 or fill out the online form.