I received a lot of emails from families who were concerned about the safety of their loved ones following our recent Nursing Homes Abuse Blog entry regarding the lack of national regulation of nurses.  Our blog entry was based on an in depth report regarding nursing regulation that appeared in a ProPublica series on poor care provided by nurses with a blemished record of providing quality patient care. 

The articles highlight the problems associated without a centralized database regarding nurses backgrounds and whether they have been disciplined in one state-- only to legally find work in another.

Thankfully, ProPublica reporters Charles Ornstein and Tracy Weber did a great service compiling information on nurse regulation on a national level.  The duo's compilation contains links to the following information:

• License look-up page
• Whether the states has a free on-line license look-up
• Free disciplinary documents on-line
• Contact information regarding obtaining medical records
• Lists of disciplines nurses by state

While the information contained in this link can not eradicate poor nursing care, providing transparency on nurses background may help prevent additional situations involving abuse or neglect.  

Nonetheless, should you have further concerns regarding the staff at a nursing home or hospital, don't be shy about reporting the individual to the head of the facility or to law enforcement officials.  Thankfully, most staffing issues can be resolved in this matter-- before further intervention is necessary.

Below is a map that appeared in the ProPublica series.  The purple states allow free retrieval of license look-up on line.