Re: family plans on suing hospital, i'm nervous as hell.
You know what's sad, is that this was a case that was not going to have a happy ending. So, what is the point of possibly ruining lives and careers? For a few thousand dollars? I will never understand people.
I had a legitimate malpractice case, to the point where there were lawyers calling my husband daily, asking about my condition, what he had decided about legal options, etc. But, from my perspective, we all make mistakes, and I was lucky to get away with my life more or less intact. Not only that, it scared the *#@% out of the hospital, the nurses, and the doc who had been primarily in charge of my care, reminding them, I am sure, of the importance of doing FULL ASSESSMENTS at every shift change, at any change in patient condition, escalation in patient pain, etc., and reminded them that you never know which patient is going to be the one that has the complications. To this day, I look at the experience as an opportunity, so that the complacency that can set in (especially in a place like L & D, where my complications first developed, only to be discovered 3 weeks later when I became septic-decompensated with met acidosis, renal failure, was in the ICU for weeks, had to have emergency surgery, and months of painful rehab) can be shaken off. The doctor and the hospital fully expected to be sued (as did some of the nurses--the hospital went so far as to fire some of the nurses who had cared for me when I first came in 3 weeks earlier, I later found out) and when I asked for my records just for continuity of care because I was moving across the country, you wouldn't believe the basic crap I got. I asked for EVERYTHING, regardless of cost, nursing notes and all, but only got H & Ps, consults, some lab results, xray/MRI/CT results, OR reports, and discharge summaries. Nothing else. Now, that made me want to go back with a subpoena, not to sue, but to get what was legally mine---I wanted to see for myself where things went wrong, and what could be done in the future to prevent the situation for my own benefit as a nurse. But, it was clear the chart was marked as a "poor outcome" so without going all the way with an attorney, I'll never get all the info.
I feel for anyone who has to testify about anything. Unfortunatey, from my experience (well, from my father's experience), even if you are innocent, and have done absolutely nothing wrong, that doesn't mean there won't be something you'll be found guilty of. So, as the other posters have advised, say no more than is asked, give as few details as needed, and "I don't recall" is always a gem of a response if there is any question at all about what to say.
Best of luck to you. Now go get some malpractice ins ASAP (you never know when something else might happen). Do your homework before the deposition (looking over the chart, notes, etc.,), and when it comes down to "the day" follow your gut, in the context of the rules the nursing veterans of the legal system have given you. Hopefully, it will go before a judge who will look at the case in its entirety, see the futility of the whole thing, see the patient's condition in the first place, and not allow it to go further.
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