Phila: Mother of boy who died at Children's Hospital sues

[NRSKarenRN, BSN, RN]

Posted on Fri, Oct. 31, 2003

Philadelphia inquirer

Mother of boy who died at Children's Hospital sues

The mother of a severely disabled Bucks County boy who died last year at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia has filed a lawsuit alleging negligence by the hospital, a doctor there, and Bancroft NeuroHealth of Haddonfield.

Matthew Goodman, 14, of Buckingham, died Feb. 6, 2002, after being discharged from Children's Hospital two days earlier. He had been a resident at Bancroft, a residential treatment facility for mentally disabled children, since 1997.

His mother, Janice Roach, has contended that Matthew was overly sedated, left in arm restraints for extended periods, and not closely supervised at Bancroft. Believing that the frequent use of restraints contributed to Matthew's decline, Roach has lobbied the New Jersey Legislature for a change in the law that would prohibit the use of restraints to modify behavior.

Roach filed a complaint in Philadelphia Common Pleas Court on Oct. 23, contending that the hospital and Dr. Richard D. Bellah were negligent in discharging Matthew on Feb. 4 with pneumonia. Bancroft, she claims, was negligent for not calling an ambulance to take Matthew back to the hospital Feb. 5. He arrived by Bancroft van, unconscious and still in restraints, the lawsuit said.

http://www.philly.com/mld/inquirer/news/local/states/pennsylvania/cities_neighborhoods/philadelphia/7145716.htm

[Brownms46]

What a terrible thing to happen . I would sure like to know what happens with this case.

[Tweety, BSN, RN]

The other day I received report on a patient who "only responds to painful stimuli........(later in report)...he's in restraints". Me: "Why is he in restraints?"...Answer: "That's the way he came from ICU".

I think sometimes we are negligent in our reassessment of the patients and restraint them "just in case" or when it's not necessary.

But to do away with restraints altogether would really make me consider another profession.

[chad75]

Restraints are already banned for behavior modification, at least according to federal regs. The way I understand the regs is you may use restraint if a patient is an immediate or impending danger to themselves or others or property (ie. they just through a TV through the window and are ripping doors off their hinges. Either way you need a physcian order, an RN can initiate restraints but a physcian needs to be called directly after and they have to actually lay eyes on the patients and write a progress note with an hour of restraints being initiated, which never happens at stand alone units

Medical restraints have another set of regs that are slightly more liberable, but it sounds like they were using restraints for behavior issues

[ktwlpn, LPN]

Originally posted by NRSKarenRN

Posted on Fri, Oct. 31, 2003

Philadelphia inquirer

Mother of boy who died at Children's Hospital sues

The mother of a severely disabled Bucks County boy who died last year at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia has filed a lawsuit alleging negligence by the hospital, a doctor there, and Bancroft NeuroHealth of Haddonfield.

Matthew Goodman, 14, of Buckingham, died Feb. 6, 2002, after being discharged from Children's Hospital two days earlier. He had been a resident at Bancroft, a residential treatment facility for mentally disabled children, since 1997.

His mother, Janice Roach, has contended that Matthew was overly sedated, left in arm restraints for extended periods, and not closely supervised at Bancroft. Believing that the frequent use of restraints contributed to Matthew's decline, Roach has lobbied the New Jersey Legislature for a change in the law that would prohibit the use of restraints to modify behavior.

Roach filed a complaint in Philadelphia Common Pleas Court on Oct. 23, contending that the hospital and Dr. Richard D. Bellah were negligent in discharging Matthew on Feb. 4 with pneumonia. Bancroft, she claims, was negligent for not calling an ambulance to take Matthew back to the hospital Feb. 5. He arrived by Bancroft van, unconscious and still in restraints, the lawsuit said.

http://www.philly.com/mld/inquirer/news/local/states/pennsylvania/cities_neighborhoods/philadelphia/7145716.htm

I would like to hear both sides of this story...I wonder how long the mother felt that he was oversedated and restrained at Bancroft and if she followed the proper channels there regarding his plan of care?? We (LTC) seldom call 911 for an ambulance-we use a local ambulance service..unless the resident is crumping...I am sure the mom is having a hrad time with the loss and her guilt...But we have been restraint free for years...who knows what his behaviors were-those kids can really harm themselves and others....staff and other residents

[bluesky, BSN, RN]

Awful, just awful. What a nightmare for the poor mother.