Was just working with an MD delivering a G2 P1 39 5/7 wks pt. Baby was born pale, limp, no cry and HR of 100. The MD put the babe on mom's chest, within about 45 seconds I noticed that fan that had been on mom in the room was still on and told the MGM to turn it off. Was trying to dry and stimulate babe on mom, my respiratory therapist was handing me dry blankets to use on babe. After about 3 minutes I said I needed to get baby to warner. The whole time the family and mom is saying, "Why isn't he crying, why doesn't he cry?" At the warmer babe still not crying at 5 min. still pale, HR 110, getting O2, temp 95.2. MD says, "Do you have the pit running", because mom started to bleed pretty heavily, so I had to leave babe with RT and go hook up the pit (it was on the IV pole just not hooked up). MD comes over and at that point I go to Mom (we only have one nurse in room with delivery).
I wrote APGARs as 6 (1), 7 (5), 9 (10). I knew the doc would be mad, she never wants any of her pts to have any problems. Babe was 5 lbs, 5 oz and looked like crud. His mom was quite the smoker........
Anyway, doc wrote in her note that I read the next day that baby had good cry and good tone at birth but nursing did not remove wet blankets, left the fan on in the room and did not have the warmer on properly! She also crossed out some of my numbers (minutes for pushing) and wrote in her numbers. And she wrote that the CRNA bolused the epidural 15 minutes prior to delivery and I had documented that he came 36 minutes prior to delivery (not sure what he has written).
I am so mad I want to quit. I took it to my DON and we will see what happens. Her charting makes everyone look bad, and I am worried about the baby. He is a high risk for SIDS with mom being a heavy smoker, SGA and male and time of year.
I don't think I can work with her any more, I can't trust her.
I have not personally encountered this, but one of my preceptors when I was in school had a doctor who falsified some records to CYA regarding a lawsuit - which, BTW, was legitimate - and she had the original records. Not only did the patient win the lawsuit, the doctor faced very significant disciplinary action. I don't remember exactly what it was, but this doctor was unable to practice for some time.
I forgot to mention that the practice issues were not because of the lawsuit, but because of the falsification of records.
That's illegal and unethical. I would get this complaint in writing to your manager and Risk Management ASAP to get a paper trail going. She is trying to cover her butt but the way she did it is totally illegal. I would report her to the BOM. And I would never work with her again.
This is exactly what I want to do, but that will probably mean quitting my job. I work in a tiny hospital and she is one of the two hospitalists (they switch each week). The other nurses that work with her have seen what she documented and they are upset too. But we are very short of doctors and I know they will not risk loosing her.
I always read what the doc writes in the OB charts because I learn much that way but not so much on the ER or in-patient charts and now I am wondering how many times she has written these types of things and we (the nurses that work with her) don't even know it. And when she finds out I took this to my DON she will be wanting to get back at me, she is that kind of person.
I really don't want to quit my job but that would probably be the only realistic way to not work with her. I will let you guys know what happens............thanks for the support.
Make sure you protect your license. That's most important here.
Your hospital might want to lose her as she's a huge liability risk should they ever get sued. She is acting in an unethical and illegal way. Make sure you put this in writing. They then can't claim they weren't aware should this become an issue again at a later date. Good luck and keep us posted.
Make sure you protect your license. That's most important here.
Your hospital might want to lose her as she's a huge liability risk should they ever get sued. She is acting in an unethical and illegal way. Make sure you put this in writing. They then can't claim they weren't aware should this become an issue again at a later date. Good luck and keep us posted.
And make sure that you keep copies of everything. As I have suggested in the past, a note to the senior partner of the law firm who defends the hospital might make the wheels turn a little bit faster.
My comment is alittle off the main subject here, but why is there only one nurse at delivery? That would scare the pants off me! What if mom AND baby went to heck in a handbasket?
We are a small hospital that delivers about 50 babies per year, we have a dozen RNs and only 4 of us do OB. None of us did OB in another place, we all learned here, by watching, reading books, studying together, going to conferences etc. Most of the docs are great about teaching and do not get angry if you want them to come look at a strip. We even mix our own pitocin.
We are in charge of the baby and doc has the mom, if it goes bad we can call for help and get another nurse, but it is not an OB nurse. As there are only 4 of us we never work together, they try to spread us out through the week.
If doc thinks it will go bad ahead of time we will call in another doc prior to birth to stand by.
We all have NRP, STABLE, ACLS, TNCC and PALS because we also work in the ER and ICU and M/S. We don't do high risk OB, but we do what ever comes in, a 17 year old with an abruption recently, emergency c-sec (oh yea, we go into surgery to get the baby too), 32 weeker delivered in our ER, numerous others that were high risk but we "Don't do high risk OB".
I work in a non urban facility too but I still have questions about your safety... Do you have a nurse who can take care of the baby if the mom is bad? Surely your docs don't stay and take care of the mom if your baby is bad? Not being judgemental just curious...:typing
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rph3664
1,714 Posts
I forgot to mention that the practice issues were not because of the lawsuit, but because of the falsification of records.