Family wins lawsuit against hospital for unsafe staffing

Published

See link for full story.

Nurse had 20 patients.

abcnews.go.com/WNT/Health/story?id+1529546

I am glad someone has finally won a lawsuit that exposes

unsafe staffing.

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Specializes in Corrections, Cardiac, Hospice.

I am getting an error message, too bad. I would have LOVED to read the story.

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Specializes in Nephrology, Cardiology, ER, ICU.

I couldn't pull it up either...can you repost another link?

Whew 20 patients!

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Specializes in 5 yrs OR, ASU Pre-Op 2 yr. ER.

I think it was missing the http part

http://abcnews.go.com/WNT/Health/story?id=1529546

That link's working, i just tested it.

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Specializes in 5 yrs OR, ASU Pre-Op 2 yr. ER.

Anyway, TWENTY pts????

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Specializes in Corrections, Cardiac, Hospice.

WOW, 20 patients in an acute setting:eek: I still think that the nurse share SOME responsibility. If the family was there saying she needs HELP NOW, why did she wait to go check her? I understand being overwhelmed and busy, but come on!

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Specializes in Med/Surg, Geriatrics.
WOW, 20 patients in an acute setting:eek: I still think that the nurse share SOME responsibility. If the family was there saying she needs HELP NOW, why did she wait to go check her? I understand being overwhelmed and busy, but come on!

Come on Shay, give the nurse a break! Her only error was in working in such a situation in the first place. 20 patients is completely unreasonable and there is no way I would lay blame at this nurse's feet for not getting something done. I am sure that everybody said that they needed help NOW. That shift must have been a nightmare for him/her, I just cannot fathom it. This is why I walked away from the bedside because so matter how atrocious the working conditions, if there was a bad outcome someone would still lay the blame at your feet.

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Specializes in Nephrology, Cardiology, ER, ICU.

The fault isn't this individual nurse (I'm sure though that she feels responsible). However, management that allow this should be held accountable.

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Specializes in 5 yrs OR, ASU Pre-Op 2 yr. ER.
If the family was there saying she needs HELP NOW, why did she wait to go check her?

And what if there were 2 or 3 other families saying the same thing? The odds of that are a little higher when a nurse has a pt load that should be for 4 nurses instead of just 1.

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Specializes in MICU.

I wonder about something... was this pt still in the ED or had she gone up to the floor?

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Specializes in Inpatient Acute Rehab.
The fault isn't this individual nurse (I'm sure though that she feels responsible). However, management that allow this should be held accountable.

I agree with this to some extent. Management needed to make sure there was sufficient staff. A human life is worth more than them saving a few bucks by understaffing.

However, the nurse should have enough sense to know that assignment was unacceptable. With accepting the assignment comes liability; which holds her as liable as the hospital administration.

I worked too hard for my license to lose it by accepting an assignment like that. Sure, she could have gotten fired, but she would have still had her license and could have went elsewhere.

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