Case Study: Caring Memorial Hospital

Liability Issues Primarily, Caring Memorial Hospital will be held liable in this malpractice case under the premise of respondeat superior. “Under respondeat superior an employer is liable for the negligent act or omission of any employee acting within the course and scope of his employment” (Thornton, 2010, para. 2). The risk manager Susan Post, JD and the quality assurance director Amy Green were both aware of the potential for increased risk on the Oncology unit. They had been making observations several months prior to incident that related to deficiencies in staffing and safety standards. Per, ASCO and ONS (2012) new staff are required to demonstrate competency and receive comprehensive chemotherapy education. Jeffery Chambers, RN was

They each are liable for nursing negligence in a civil court. Because they breached the standards of care by failing to render the degree of care, skill, and judgment exercised by a prudent nurse under the same circumstances (Westrick, 2014). Jeffery Chambers, RN had an established duty to care for Yolanda Pinnelas and breached the standard of care as he was the primary nurse assigned to the patient. Diana Smith, RN mentioned to Jeffery Chambers, RN that Yolanda Pinnelas IV infusion was beeping. However, he did not take the time to check the nature of the problem. Jeffery Chambers, RN worked a double shift the day before and was only able to get 6 hours of rest prior to returning to work which could have resulted in his fatigue. Also, Jeffery Chambers, RN unit was short staffed and he was managing several very sick patients. Per, The Institute of Medicine nurses that work greater than 12 hours in direct patient care, have an increased risk of patient errors (IOM, 2004). Carol Price LPN, by her own admission heard the infusion pump beeping several times and did not go in to check on the patient. Although she was not the primary nurse assigned to the patient, she was a nurse on the unit and therefore, had an established duty to care for Yolanda Pinnelas. She breached the standard of care by not

In this scenario, that person would be Diana Smith, RN as she was the person to discover the incident. The report should include that the nursing supervisor and the physician was notified and whether any new orders were given. Also, the report would state that the patient’s assessment revealed that the IV was dislodged from the patient’s vein. Also, she should document whether or not there was pain, swelling, redness or induration at IV site. She would include a description of the type of care that she provided to the hand. The incident report should be forwarded to the risk manager for