3 year old Tina Gerhardt was admitted to the abulatroy surgery unit at Nightingale Community Hospital by her mother for bilateral myringotomies (insertion of ear tubes). After Tina was registered, she was handed off to the pre-op nurse and she explained that the surgery was going to take 45 minutes and recovery would take an hour. Tina mom gave the per-op nurse instructions to called her if Tina was done with surgery and recovery before she came back. The per-op nurse took the…
In the medical field, it is extremely important to notify patients of any probability that during a procedure there are a number of things that could affect the outcome. Thus avoiding a case of malpractice or a violation of the HIPAA Act. In the case of Canterbury vs. Spence there was a violation of the HIPAA Act where a doctor did not inform the patient of the potential risks that are involved with a spinal surgery. The patient was told about the surgery but did not ask any further details of the surgery itself nor did the patient ask about the risks that are involved when the doctor did not inform him. As the patient was recovering from his surgery he had an incident where he had fallen when getting out of his hospital bed and was almost paralyzed. There can be many sides to a story but the most important subject of this case is the fact that the patient was not informed of the risks of the surgery nor did he ask for additional information.…
A 13 year-old girl, Tina, was admitted for outpatient surgery on September 14. Tina was accompanied by her mother, who was informed by nursing personnel she would be in surgery approximately 45 minutes and then recovery for one hour. Tina’s mother informed nursing personnel that she would be leaving, but would provide her cell phone number to be notified if Tina was ready prior to the anticipated time. Tina’s surgery and recovery time did not last as long as expected and her mother was unaware she was ready to be dismissed from the hospital. In the mean time, Tina’s…
The care for MR. Ard was below standard of care. Mrs. Ard’s testimony of what happened the night of the 20th collaborates with the nurses logs of when Mr. Ard was checked on. The nurses brought in to speak as expert witness both agree that the care was below standard of care and steps were skipped in assessing Mr. Ard’s care. The nurse was contributory negligent. “A person who is negligent when that person does not exercise reasonable care for his or her safety, thus contributing to any injury sufferer” (Pozgar, 2012, pg. 125). The nurse was aware of Mr. Ard’s issues in the doctor’s notes, she was also made aware through constant calling from the wife of Mr. Ard, and not responding in a timely manner. According to Pozgar, the nurse did not have to be directly aware of the issues that may happen, but aware that something might happen and to keep an eye on the patient in case it did (2012). The Judgment by the court was granted towards Mrs. Ard in wrongful death, and I agree.…
B) was brought into the emergency room for pain to left leg and left hip. The injury occurred when the patient had a fall due to him losing his balance after tripping over his dog. The hospital is a 60 bed rural hospital located in Mr. B’s hometown. Mr. B was brought in by his son and neighbor. Upon triage Mr. B was complaining of pain 10/10 on the numerical pain scale and his vitals were found to be stable. Mr. B has a history of impaired glucose tolerance, prostate cancer, and chronic pain which he is on oxycodone. The Patient states he had no known allergies or previous falls. Upon the nursing assessment Nurse J. has noticed that the patient has limited range in motion, his left leg has swelling and appears shortened in comparison to the right. Nurse J. has informed the ED physician which he came to his bedside for…
The first legal issue in this case is patient consent. To perform any medical intervention or move ahead with a given treatment doctors need the authorization of the patient or his legal guardian. If doctors perform the treatment without this consent they could be charged for battery or negligence. In this case, Mr. Jones verbalized he do not want any intervention and that he wants his body intact then doctors cannot undertake the proposed treatment. However, Mr. Jones daughter disagrees.…
Patch Adams did a lot of illegally things that took place in the hospital and in school. The director was showing the third year class around and was telling his students about the patient’s diagnoses. That is the patients’ confidential business and it should have not been discussed. Patch Adams also communicated with the patients and he was only in his first year of medical school. The nurses were also discussing the patient’s diagnosis with Patch Adam who is a student. It is not to be discussed…
Karen Thomas arrived this morning for Syncope. She was brought to the hospital by an ambulance. Her alcohol level was O. She already had two negative troponin and was going to be discharged the next day. Basically, she was at our CDU floor for observation and third troponin. After getting a report from the nurse, I went to see the patient to do my assessment. As I introduced myself, I could tell that she was not happy being bothered and staying at the hospital. I completed vitals and assessment, and administered her medications. While I was about to leave, she mentioned that she did not want to be bothered all night. In our floor, we were required to do vitals and a complete head to toe assessment every four hours. Since she was syncope patient…
In this scenario the patient is a 72 year old retired rabbi with mild dementia who is admitted to the hospital for a broken right hip due to a fall at home and is receiving pain medication. After a week of being admitted the patients daughter visits her father and finds him restrained. She also notices a red depressed area over her fathers’ lower back when her father is being assisted to the bathroom and was later informed by the dietary worker about her father receiving a pork cutlet on his dinner tray. The daughter was upset with the care being provided and complained to the physician.…
We are examining the events surrounding the treatment of Mr. B in the emergency department for a dislocated left shoulder. Prior to Mr. B’s arrival at the emergency department (E.D.) on Thursday afternoon he reports that while showering he “just blacked out” and when he awoke his left arm was quite painful and obviously disfigured. Mr. B was brought to the hospital by his son and taken by Nurse J to an examination room to obtain a health history and physical assessment. Important facts to know…
A patient presented to the Emergency Department with the complaints of hip and leg pain. The patient rated the pain 10/10 on the standard pain scale. His (L) leg appeared shortened with swelling, ecchymosis, and limited range of motion. The leg was stabilized and then he was further evaluated and discharged to a room in the nursing department. The patient was also noted to have a history of impaired glucose tolerance and prostate cancer. The patient’s current medications were atorvastatin and oxycodone for chronic back pain. The patient was placed in a room and prepared for a procedure. The physician evaluated the patient and proceeded to order Valium, when unsuccessful hydromorphone was ordered. The patient had not achieved appropriate sedation for the procedure and additional medication was ordered. The patient was not placed on a cardiac monitor and a baseline oxygen level was not obtained prior to the administration of sedatives. The patient was receiving “Conscious sedation” in order for the physician to perform a manipulative procedure. The patient eventually had a decrease in oxygen saturation and became hypotensive- an arrest occurred. The patient was resuscitated and then transferred to a tertiary center. The patient was found to have brain damage and after…
A physician that performs surgery on a patient without the proper consent is considered assault. Physicians must ensure that every patient understands what is being discussed to them; the responsibility lies solely with healthcare professionals to communicate treatment options, diagnoses, risk, and benefits.…
So, my story begins, a diet office clerk developed a crush on a patient. This patient is in and out of the hospital for various pre-existing conditions. The diet clerk would call the patient and vice-versa for food orders. This resulted in the patient receiving many trays of food including prohibited food items as well. Patient is a diabetic. After following procedures and discovering this patient's food was not approved by a charge nurse as told to me by the diet clerk, I told the nurse the patient is a diabetic. The charge nurse reviewed the patients records to discover his blood count was 356. Diet order stated GI soft foods only, no mention of pre-existing diabetes. Diet order promptly…
A 89 year old woman was admitted to the recovery ward for monitoring after a dynamic hip screw procedure of the right hip. The patient was received by myself and I immediately began the ABCDE approach to caring for the patient while the anaesthetist began his verbal handover of the patients medical history, intra operative care and instructions for post operative care including iv fluids and analgesia. The anaesthetist explained the patient had advanced…
Mary (changed name) was admitted with right cerebrovascular accident (CVA) and was now just waiting for residential placement. One of the side effects left over from her stroke was that she had a drop-foot for which she had a splint and a walking stick; she had declined to use a frame. Mary was one of the patients on my team so I was getting to know her quite well during my first two weeks on the ward. I was working with another patient when I saw Mary twist on her ankle and try to steady herself on her stick. This had the effect of spinning her round and she fell to the floor onto her left hip. I ran to help, she was in a lot of pain and slight shock, I called down the ward for help several members of staff came to help saying "do this" and "do that" all at the same time, I was quite over whelmed. Mary was rolled back and forth onto a sling, hoisted up and placed on her bed, all the while I was looking after her head, I did not know what else to do so I talked to her to calm her down, which was difficult due to all the commotion. On initial examination the senior nurse on duty said it looked like she had broken her femur, which was later confirmed. Her residential placement was cancelled and she was transferred to stepping hill.…