Question

Group 3:

Britney is a nurse on the orthopedic unit at a local hospital. She agrees to cover for Paul, another nurse on the unit, during his lunch break. The nursing assistant tells Britney that one of Paul's patients, a 62-year-old female 2 days postoperative for a hip replacement, is complaining of pain in the hip. Britney reviews the medication sheets, finding an order for 50 mg of Demerol every 4 to 6 hours IM or IV push. She notes that the patient received Vicodin 10 mg 3 hours ago, with no pain relief. Britney decides to give the Demerol intravenously for better control of the pain. She administers the medication, and 15 minutes later the patient is unable to breathe because of swelling of her throat. The patient is transferred to the intensive care unit and makes a full recovery. Britney reviews the chart, which documents the patient's allergy to Demerol. The patient had not received the medication during the hospital stay until it was given by Britney.

Who has the duty to provide reasonable care in this scenario? Does Paul retain accountability? Did Britney assume accountability? Cite a scholarly reference with page numbers from Nursing Today textbook to support your response.

Was there a process problem leading to the problem? Explain in detail.

How does professional duty apply in this scenario? How would a breach of professional duty be proved in this scenario? Explore intentional versus unintentional breaches and include a reference to support your response.

What damages might the plaintiff claim as a result of the action? Which type of liability might apply in this scenario? Include a scholarly reference.

Answer 1

It is the responsibility of nurse Paul to provide reasonable care tobthbe patient.Paul retains the accountability because it is must to provide at least a brief hand over to the nurse before taking a break to avoid unnecessary happenings.Britney is also accountable for the incident because it is a duty to check for any allergy the patient have.

There is a medication error,first in case if the patient is allergic to demerol then this medication should not be mentioned in drug chart.The provider takes a toll to handle it.A wrong prescription by the provider and its implementation by a covering nurse.The nurses act is an unintentional breach but the provider takes the intentional breach of duty.

The plaintiff can claim for breach of duty and causing harm to the patinets physical condition .This is a disciplinary liability where reprimand,warning and fine can be laid on the concerned professional.