Babies uneccessary death!!

Nurses General Nursing

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i posted this in the peds section....but every nurse needs to read this story of a child who died while in the hospital of dehydration,despite the mothers concerns - it will make you a better nurse. a written version of her speech to the residents at johns hopkins can be found at www.josieking.org/speech.html. we have got to quit being so defensive when pts or pts families ask questions regarding their care. if they question what you are doing - stop- and explain to them what is going on and why you are doing what you are doing.

And who was supervising her when she got the burns????

I had the same thought, but didn't want to get attacked for posting it.

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good point - that is the beginning of the dehydration issue - LOTS of fluids are lost with burn patients.

I didn't want to get attacked for pointing out that the grieving mom disregarded completely the possibility (actuality) that SHE had involvement/fault in this tragedy as well, but I'm glad I'm not the only one who noticed. :chair:

Accidents happen - at home, at work, - people make mistakes - parents, doctors, nurses. Sometimes bad things happen. No one is guaranteed tomorrow...

Very true.

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Specializes in Everything but psych!.

Anger is always there before the acceptance. The mother blaming others, is just a few steps from acceptance. So so so sad. Thanks for the reminder to listen.

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I wish you could have seen the video of her speech (instead of just reading it on paper). The pain on her face as she tried to pronounce each word without breaking down. I have read other articles and interviews with her. She openly admits that for the first year after Josies death - she blamed herself not only for the burns but for not speaking up more in the hospital. I have no doubt that she will probably always blame herself. At the time, she had 5 small children under the age of 8. They had all went upstairs to get ready for bed and she was finishing some housework (or something) downstairs. Josie is the one who wondered in the bathroom and turned on the hot water. Anyone who has small children knows that no matter how careful you are 99% of the time - it only takes a few minutes for a tragedy to happen. My heart goes out to her.

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i just read this story and i started to cry (i read the long version from the baltimore sun - http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/health/bal-te.sorrel14dec14,0,5578677.story - which had much more detail) and it was very painful to read. i'm currently a nursing student and i'm planning on working in the nicu because i love babies and children so much...they are innocent, beautiful angels. just reading this story broke my heart and it was really a wake up call to what i would experience in the nicu. i wanted to get some advice from a nurse that works in the nicu and get a feel for how you handle it. do you leave your shift an emotional wreck or is it easy for you to separate what you experience at work from home? i've wanted to be a nurse for as long as i can remember and i just hope that i will have the emotional strength to work in the nicu. any feedback is appreciated.

also, i'm sure that the mother has plenty of guilt herself and probably will for the rest of her life, but the hospital is ultimately responsible for her daughter's death. all she's trying to do by voicing it out is to prevent another child from dying that shouldn't have too because of medical negligence. sad sad sad :crying2:

good point - that is the beginning of the dehydration issue - lots of fluids are lost with burn patients.

i didn't want to get attacked for pointing out that the grieving mom disregarded completely the possibility (actuality) that she had involvement/fault in this tragedy as well, but i'm glad i'm not the only one who noticed. :chair:

accidents happen - at home, at work, - people make mistakes - parents, doctors, nurses. sometimes bad things happen. no one is guaranteed tomorrow...

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Specializes in Specializes in L/D, newborn, GYN, LTC, Dialysis.

Such a cautionary tale.....for medical/nursing caregivers and us who are parents. I found myself tearful at reading this....and hugging my little girl very tightly afterward. I can't say more.....just so emotional. Very cautionary.

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:confused: isn't it a bit odd for an 18 month old child to draw themselves a bath? especially after her mom had just given her one. i'm having such a hard time imagining the whole scenario....

this little baby girl crawling over the ledge of the tub in order to plug the drain because she cannot reach it, crawling back over the ledge while the tub fills, getting her own washcloth, getting her toys and then crawling back into the bathtub.....

it seems that in order to be burned that severely on 60% of her body she didn't get in the tub until it had a couple of inches or so of water, right?

as hard as it is to understand the errors and mistakes that took place in this tradegy, i'm struggling even more so with the events that lead up to it.

sorry...i've just been pondering this for 2 or 3 days now and i cannot get it out of my mind....

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Specializes in OB, lactation.
Isn't it a bit odd for an 18 month old child to draw themselves a bath? Especially after her Mom had just given her one. I'm having such a hard time imagining the whole scenario....

she probably turned on the water then sat and played with the toys for a couple of minutes before getting into the hot water... toddlers are easily distracted. Or she could have slipped and fell (covering more of her body) in an attempt to scramble back out when she felt how hot it was. there are probably a zillion scenarios of how it could have happened. an 18 month old should not be left unattended but as the mom of 3 young boys i can see how accidents can happen (in general). kids are really unpredictable sometimes.

Anyway, I guess I don't think it's odd that she would play with the bath or go back to the bath after already having one. My 2 year old has gotten out of the bath, gotten dried off and dressed, and gotten back in (with his brothers) once or even twice before! Precious little wack jobs, they are. :)

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Anyone who has small children knows that no matter how careful you are 99% of the time - it only takes a few minutes for a tragedy to happen. My heart goes out to her.
I agree. At first, I was wondering about who was watching the child, but as the mother of a one year old I realize how fast things can happen...I also know that the guilt she must have to face on a daily basis must be more than anyone could bear. The family is in my prayers.
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there was clearly a problem with the charting.

the baby's weight fell 20% in her final 24 hours (!!!). there is no way this happened with her maintaining "good/average ins and outs" throughout her course. i'm also a bit surprised there was absolutely no change in bp.

her iv had been removed the day before her discharge from the unit. she was getting whatever fluid she had po. i think her nurse was fudging the ins/outs, you know how everyone's respiratory rate is always 20?

sad case.

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the other possibility is that she became septic, remember she did have an infection fromthe line they were treating. maybe it wasn't working, certainly you can go downhill that fast with sepsis. but then you'd expect to be able to tell from the autopsy, so this is unlikely.

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Specializes in LTC,Hospice/palliative care,acute care.
And who was supervising her when she got the burns????
That's a little harsh,I think...It's not as if the parent purposfully dumped her in the hot water as a punishment-they were not incapacitated by drugs or drink....It was an accident and accidents happen-especially in a houseful of kids....No negligence here IMHO-not like many other cases.....they were not letting her play in the yard while her 8yr old brother got on the riding mower-nor did they leave in the car while they ran an errand enabling some scum bag to drive away with her-or succumb to the heat.............. :o so sad......I am also almost sure that the mom did all she could while her dtr was going down-she is NOT a nurse.....
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