Lewis Blackman Case Study

Health Name Institution Date

Based on the definition of surveillance, which components were negated to some degree in Lewis Blackman’s course of care?

Doctors, nurses, hospital executives and other professionals in healthcare all play diverse and important roles in the wellbeing and safety of patients under their care. One of the most important responsibilities that they have is patient surveillance. Nurses in particular have immense contribution to make in observing and recording the patient’s progress and changes

In the case of Lewis Blackman, some of these intervention measures were not done or some were done incorrectly. Lewis Blackman was a 15 year old boy who died after surgery meant to correct a condition called pectus excavatum (a crease in the chest cavity). The surgery was done in Medical University of South Carolina by Dr. Edward Tagge. One of the surveillance mistakes that happened in this case is that before the surgery the nurses asked Blackman for his weight instead of weighing him. They only weighed him after his mother insisted because she knew that a patient’s weight determines drug dosage. The surgery was supposed to last for 5 minutes but lasted for two and a half hours. The family was not updated after the expected time had lapsed, leaving them anxious and worried. After the surgery, Blackman is given Toradol a painful painkiller to lessen his chest pain. It also has adverse side effects such as perorated ulcers and internal bleeding. Blackman’s parents are not notified of these side effects. After three days out of surgery, Blackman has pain in his abdomen. When the mother inquires, the nurses attribute it to gas and tell them to walk around. When the pain persists, the nurses call for a

The patient should also be made to feel comfortable with the medical staff. Thus he/she can ask questions, give his own assessment without fear and dialogue with the health providers. This means he can give his medical history, speak up when he is pain or uncomfortable and be willing to cooperate with the staff. Thus the patient is made a partner in his own healthcare. The patient should also have the right to reject any drug or medical procedure which is adverse or which he/she is not comfortable with. In Blackman’s case, the painkiller Toradol should not have been administered further after he complained of abdominal