[NRSKarenRN]

Who's gonna get blamed in this case! Only 1 guess allowed.

Widow sues nursing home over misplaced DNR order
AP/Orlando Sentinel, Jan. 12, 2005

A Jacksonville, Fla., widow is suing an Orange Park nursing home, saying a "do not resuscitate" order meant for her husband's roommate was mistakenly placed in her husband's file, resulting in his death.

[Blackcat99]

The nursing home is at fault and the widow is going to win this case.

[Fluesy]

Absolutely!! I would be surprised if it goes to court.

[RNKITTY04]

This is the very same nursing home that my husbands Granmother died at 2 days before Christmas (last month) due to (IMHO) neglect.
We had a Birthday party for her in Oct and not 1 day later every single item that she recieved as a gift was stolen.
I hope the widow sues the crap out of them and they shut down the place.

[Angie O'Plasty, RN]

Wow.

So what they're saying is that someone arrests and they have to go run up the hall to LOOK AT THE CHART to see if the patient has a DNR????!!

There IS a better way.

[Blackcat99]

In the "old days" the LTC would have ID bracelets in a certain color for residents who were a DNR. Nowadays, they don't allow ID bracelets for LTC residents period. So yes at my LTC facility you do have to run to the chart first if you don't know for sure if someone is a DNR or not.

[Angie O'Plasty, RN]

Originally Posted by Blackcat99

In the "old days" the LTC would have ID bracelets in a certain color for residents who were a DNR. Nowadays, they don't allow ID bracelets for LTC residents period. So yes at my LTC facility you do have to run to the chart first if you don't know for sure if someone is a DNR or not.

*said sarcastically* And we all know that privacy's the most important issue when someone's arresting.

[Angie O'Plasty, RN]

Originally Posted by NRSKarenRN

Who's gonna get blamed in this case! Only 1 guess allowed.

The clerk or nurse who was supposed to put the DNR into the chart.

But you're right, there are several issues lurking here.

Suppose my DNR relative arrests, do they start CPR till someone gets the chart and looks in it, possibly successfully reviving the patient? This is what appears to have happened in this case. What about the right of the REAL DNR to NOT have CPR performed at all?

[Blackcat99]

Originally Posted by Angie O'Plasty, RN

*said sarcastically* And we all know that privacy's the most important issue when someone's arresting.

Yes I figured you were just being sarcastic. Yes we all know that privacy is the most important issue.

[Blackcat99]

Originally Posted by Angie O'Plasty, RN

The clerk or nurse who was supposed to put the DNR into the chart.

But you're right, there are several issues lurking here.

Suppose my DNR relative arrests, do they start CPR till someone gets the chart and looks in it, possibly successfully reviving the patient? This is what appears to have happened in this case. What about the right of the REAL DNR to NOT have CPR performed at all?

Yes you are suppose to check the chart before you do CPR at my LTC facility. Many years ago I had the other nurse go check his chart while I got things ready in case he was to have CPR. The other nurse said we had to do CPR because he did not have anything in his chart about being a no code. So we did all the emergency stuff and the paramedics rushed him to the hospital. I then started charting and found the "DNR order" after the fact. The man died anyway so we didn't get sued.