Why are Expert Witnesses Involved in Nursing Home Abuse Cases?

If your loved one was injured in a nursing home due to neglect or abuse, you may be able to file a claim against the facility for financial compensation. If you are successful with your claim, you can recover damages for your family member’s medical expenses, pain and suffering, and more. Success in a personal injury claim largely depends on the evidence you present to support your claim. Photographs, observations you made, and eyewitness testimony are all important types of evidence in nursing home abuse cases.

There is another type of testimony that can help prove your case and this is expert testimony. Experts are very beneficial in many cases. They can substantiate the mental distress and physical pain your loved one has suffered due to the abuse. Experts can also outline how a nursing home facility may have facilitated abuse or neglect.

Professional Nursing Experts 

Licensed practical nurses and registered nurses can testify about the care your loved one received in the facility, and whether it met the standard of care required of nursing homes. Registered nurses understand that professionals in their field should document detailed information about the resident, while also completing reports regarding the facility’s requirements. This data includes, but is not limited to:

• The current state of the resident’s health,
• Medical history,
• Information about the resident’s vital signs that are current,
• Procedures followed, and
• Medications prescribed.

Registered nurse experts can testify to out of date information, or information that is incorrect. Registered nurses also supervise licensed practical nurses and they can testify if insufficient supervision contributed to abuse or neglect.

Nursing Home Administrators 

Nursing home administrators have a legal duty to ensure the health and safety of residents, staff members, and visitors. Administrators make decisions about the operation of the facility based on regulatory compliances, budget concerns, training and staffing practices, and more. Nursing home administrators can testify about whether the management in a facility provided the expected standard of care. For example, a nursing home administrator acting as an expert witness can testify if a facility failed to comply with state or federal regulations.

Specialty Medical Physicians 

Medical professionals in specialized fields such as family medicine, geriatrics, psychiatry, and psychology can all act as expert witnesses. These professionals can testify about the state of a patient’s mental and physical health and if either was impacted by neglect or abuse. Their testimony is also useful when calculating damages the resident incurred due to neglect or abuse.

Our Nursing Home Abuse Attorney in Tampa Works with a Network of Experts 

There are many aspects of personal injury cases people are not aware of, and the use of experts is one of these. At Kohn Law, our Tampa nursing home abuse attorney works with a vast network of experts who can provide testimony to prove your case so you obtain the full damages you deserve. Call us today at 813-428-8504 or contact us online to schedule an appointment with our experienced attorney and to learn more about how we can help.

Source:

leg.state.fl.us/statutes/index.cfm?App_mode=Display_Statute&URL=0400-0499/0400/0400.html