In her spare time she likes to read, travel, write, and spend time with her husband and two children. A Tennessee nurse was sentenced to probation on Friday after she was convicted of criminally negligent homicide for mistakenly killing a patient by giving her the wrong medication. Nurses see that. ", The day before the pancuronium was administered, Marc Smith described his father as "alert.". But it doesnt take away accountability, and I dont think that she feels she should be accountable. (Vaughts lawyer pointed out the former nurse did express remorse publicly, but Chandra clarified not directly to her family. Here's why. I said, 'He coded? 806 8067 22 Registered Office: Imperial House, 2nd Floor, 40-42 Queens Road, Brighton, East Sussex, BN1 3XB, Taking a break or withdrawing from your course, http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/4840066/Nurse-admits-manslaughter-after-Alzheimers-victim-dies-of-broken-neck.html, http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1118964/, Oxford Postgraduates: MSc Energy Systems 2023, Official University of Edinburgh 2023 Applicant Thread. Viruses begin to multiply rapidly once in the bloodstream, so preventing entry into the bloodstream in the first place is extremely important. Nursing is my passion and the very core of who I am, she wrote. And yes I agree. We've received your submission. Healthcare workers are at risk for contracting diseases such as Hepatitis B or C as well as HIV which can be terrifying. "His only complaint to me was he was cold and his mouth was dry, which is not uncommon for dialysis patients," he said. Some nurses feel like they "failed" by experiencing a needlestick or other type of exposure, playing the scenario back to find out how things could have been done differently. The Washington State Department of Healths investigation of the incident took about five months. Despite legislation for needlestick prevention and safety measures in place, accidents do happen, and nurses need to know what to do in case of an exposure. 2023 Registered Nursing.org All Rights Reserved | About | Privacy | Terms | Contact Us. There is real resistance in places, says Dr. Wu. The actual work of building one of these hotlinessecuring a phone number, finding volunteers, advertising the resourceis not a massive lift. She was acquitted of reckless homicide. Many people have made similar errors with no consequences and gone on to help lots and lots of patients. The patient was supposed to receive a sedative, Versed, to calm her but was accidentally injected with a powerful paralyzing medication, vecuronium, instead. 2,999 Posts. The Smith family originally filed a wrongful death lawsuit in February against the hospital's parent company and the pharmacist, but they recently amended their complaint to include the nurse and the hospital. The district attorney's decision to charge Vaught comes after both the Tennessee Department of Health and the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services investigated the incident. Saying Im sorry doesnt seem like enough but you deserve to hear that and you deserve to know that I am very sorry for what happened, Vaught added. "Nurses aren't superheroes. A former nurse at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, Tenn., was arrested and charged with reckless homicide and abuse in February for making a medical mistake that resulted in an elderly patient's death. In 1986, she accepted an entry-level position on Seattle Childrens Hospitals toddler floor, where she saw young patients with serious medical conditions that ranged from cancer to cystic fibrosis. DA spokesman Stephen Hayslip told NPR in an email that "the actions of this office will become more evident as the evidence is presented to the court." And when health care workers do make mistakes, Ross argues hospitals usually shouldn't punish staff. If they dont regain confidence in their skills, other patients could suffer. But clinicians dont exist in a vacuum. Inside the courthouse, Vaught came face to face with the loved ones of her victim: 75-year-old Charlene Murphey, who died in late December 2017 at Vanderbilt. In each installment of this daily series, I respond to a composite letter that asks for my career advice. Problems tend to happen in busy, unpredictable circumstances, Manges says. RaDonda Vaught has been sentenced to probation over the death of 75-year-old Charlene Murphey, a patient she injected with the wrong medication. The elderly couple had recently taken in two children, a 2 year old and a 10 year old whose parents had died. Then, during a meeting, someone mentioned Kims story. Their ghosts creep into exam rooms, and seeing new. However, reporting should not be delayed treatment should begin immediately to help prevent transmission of bloodborne pathogens. When the Institute of Medicine now known as the Health and Medicine Division of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine put out a major 1999 report titled To Err Is Human, Manges says, it became the norm to focus less on punishment and more on learning from mistakes. Vaught, a former nurse at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, was charged with reckless homicide after a medication error killed a patient. The Student Room and The Uni Guide are trading names of The Student Room Group Ltd. Register Number: 04666380 (England and Wales), VAT No. Im wondering if its premature to have quit nursing. Vaughts sentencing has been set for May 13. Criminal charges for a medical error are unusual, patient safety experts say. People here are still afraid to admit their mistakes, says one Seattle Childrens Hospital employee who requested anonymity, because they are afraid of losing their jobs.. They would go through the hospital's procedures of when an accidental death happens. The woman had initially checked into the hospital with a subdural hematoma. We recommend our users to update the browser. Marc Smith came by to visit that morning, and found his dad "unconscious, unresponsive and on a respirator. That can make getting resources a tough sell to hospital executives who watch the bottom line. Reddit and its partners use cookies and similar technologies to provide you with a better experience. Kim, you do a great job at the bedside with your patients and families, wrote Rea, who ran Seattle Childrens Hospitals intensive care units. RISE takes barely any personal information from callers. Law firms use nurses to review potential medical malpractice cases. @WSMV pic.twitter.com/QHewhtL9Gx, Tosin Fakile (@TosinfaksTV) May 13, 2022, The nursing profession is already extremely short-staffed, strained and facing immense pressurean unfortunate multi-year trend that was further exacerbated by the effects of the pandemic, the statement added. ", Yaffa, who said he's handled hundreds of hospital death cases in his 22 years as a lawyer, added, "The hospital just seems to be thumbing their nose to this family.". The nurse who administered the incorrect medication "is still working there in the exact same unit where the medical error occurred," Yaffa said. The 75-year-old woman died a day after the injection left her brain-dead. They now claim the nurse not only administered the wrong medicine, but also failed to properly monitor Richard Smith. Albert Wu, MD, began studying medical errors in the late 1980s, as a newly minted medical school graduate. Not often, grant you, but it happens. (Vaughts lawyer pointed out the former nurse did express remorse publicly, but Chandra clarified not directly to her family. Vaught faced up to eight years behind bars. Proper use of personal protective equipment (PPE) when performing a procedure or task that has a high risk of exposure to body fluids is also critical. Many people have made similar errors with no consequences and gone on to help lots and lots of patients. RaDonda Vaught, 38, was convicted by a jury Friday of criminal negligent homicide and gross neglect of an impaired adult after a three-day trial in Nashville closely watched by medical professionals, The Tennessean reported. In addition, the report says, the pharmacy wasn't able to show any justification for storing pancuronium in that particular area of the hospital. One 2009 study found that two thirds reported extreme sadness and difficulty concentrating. More than half experienced depression; one third said they avoided caring for similar patients afterward, for fear of making a similar mistake. According to the CDC, there is an average of 385,000 sharps-related injuries annually among healthcare workers. "He said the packaging looked the same and he grabbed the wrong package," Marc Smith recalled. In some cases, the patient is contacted and blood work ordered to check Hepatitis B and C status as well as HIV. We are no longer supporting IE (Internet Explorer) as we strive to provide site experiences for browsers that support new web standards and security practices. Latest posts by Amanda Bucceri Androus, RN, BSN. I calculated the . "Basically we don't want this to happen to anyone else. Her prosecution sparked outrage and protests from nurses across the country and inspired a petition signed by more than 200,000 people demanding a judge grant her clemency. Around lunchtime, another doctor noticed the patients heart rate spiking. Uvo Ologboride, the nurse named in the lawsuit, had given Smith pancuronium. As stated earlier, an exposure can be very stressful and scary, affecting not just the patient and nurse but the nurse's family as well. The groups founder said what happened to Vaught couldve happened to anyone in such a demanding job. Im kind of scared to go into health care, Sydney told me. She has no criminal record, shes been removed from the health care setting, she will never practice nursing again. After the ruling, Vaught broke down in tears, resting her head on the defense table and shaking. And if youre bad at math, get a tutor or take a course on the sort of math you need as an RN, including improving your skills in estimation---so even if you calculate wrong, youll know you made an error before administering the medication to a patient. Murphey died in an intensive care unit the following day. Get the help you need from a therapist near youa FREE service from Psychology Today. Dear Marty, I'm a registered nurse and I killed a patient by accident. What Happens If a Nurse Gets a Needlestick or Other Type of Exposure? In the wake of an error, they have to keep seeing patients and performing surgeries. The criminal case of RaDonda Vaughta 38-year-old former registered nurse at Vanderbilt University Medical Centerbecame a cause clbre for those in her profession. a few minutes before 11 A. M., all the doctors and nurses nervously wait outside the ward to . They made horrible, harmful mistakes. Constantly interrupting during lectures, scoring below passing standards on exams (an 80% is required and the class avg is 70%), and are not willing to put in the work. Scott decided to try something she thought might help. Copyright The Student Room 2023 all rights reserved. Thirty minutes later, Smith was found unresponsive. He declined to comment further. After Kim arrived home, Lyn and their son decided to take a walk to a nearby restaurant. She launched a hotline that doctors, nurses, and other providers at the University of Missouri could call in the wake of an adverse event. Staying Single: What Most People Do If They Divorce After 50. This idea, on its own, is controversial. Murphy entered the hospital because . What to expect as an older masters student? Psychology Today 2023 Sussex Publishers, LLC, Source: FreeStockPhotos.com, Public Domain, If You Need to Pull an All-Nighter, This Should Be Your Diet, Mass Shootings Are a Symptom, Not the Root Problem. For sharps/needlestick injuries, nurses should immediately wash the area with soap and water and "milk" the area to encourage bleeding. And prosecutors tend to focus on nurses, he says, rather than physicians or hospital administrators, though he's not sure why. That was April 3, 2011. Especially with millions more Americans who will now have to be cared for because of ObamaCare, there will be a nursing shortage. Her remorse during the case was of the attitude, in my opinion as an investigator, that she felt by telling the truth it would all go away, and that she should be rewarded for being honest., And I appreciate honesty. There was no mistake madethe location of a gunshot wound appeared to guarantee the patients deathbut she still struggled with the gravity of his death. Ive given too much calcium, the nurse, Michelle Asplin, recalled Kim having said. A non-punitive approach encourages transparency, she says, and "that prevents future mistakes or errors from happening.". 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