Nurse who survived Ebola is suing the hospital

Nurses COVID

Published

For ongoing pain and suffering, loss of future income, and privacy violations among other things. I wonder if she will win?

If nurses contract a disease (in general) because proper protocols were not in place, have you heard of them suing in other cases? Not only for diseases but for injuries?

Newspaper: Nurse who survived Ebola says hospital failed her - San Jose Mercury News

Please read this article. It explains a lot about the lawsuit.

This article is reporting what Ms. Pham's attorney has to say about the suit. Of course he is going to make the strongest case possible, and I'm not criticizing him for doing so (that's his job, and his ethical, professional responsibility) -- but I also don't think that every word he says on the subject can necessarily be taken as the last word (or the most objective word) on the subject.

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Not sure about this statement. My facility did not have any Ebola protocol in place until after the Ebola scare. Some things or diseases cannot be expected at our hospital, which included Ebola, especially if it is not prevalent in the area. I understand that her facility should have been more supportive of her but I wouldn't expect to have protocols for every diseases on the face of the Earth to be in place at our facility. That's not realistic.

I disagree. Every hospital should be prepared to protect its staff from diseases that are spreading, even when we are not yet sure of the method of transmission. Because they will certainly expect their staff to take care of these people. And this is not the first, nor will it be the last time something like this happens.

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Specializes in Oncology.
The CDC's protocol was changed AFTER the two Dallas nurses became ill. The nurses were allegedly wearing what was recommended at the time by the CDC, which was more suited to field conditions in countries without adequate resources than in US hospitals.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Pp28QYJDMI

PPE is discussed at the 3:00 minute mark.

The CDC's protocol was changed like once a week for awhile. And until the very end it was remarkably different from how the CDC dressed to handle the virus.

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Specializes in Critical Care.
The truth will eventually come out that the CDC intentionally misled everyone so that the hospitals would not have to invest so much money in proper protective gear. The CDC knew that Ebola virus were potentially airborne.

From the NIH in 2012:

findings support the hypothesis that airborne transmission may contribute to ZEBOV (Zaire-ebola virus) spread, specifically from pigs to primates, and may need to be considered in assessing transmission from animals to humans in general.

I think that is the truth, because the biolabs rated Ebola Level 4 maximum precautions hazmat suit and respirator, yet the CDC had the nerve to say that all that was needed was a gown, mask and gloves for the healthcare staff that are working with critically ill, patients with prolific vomiting and diarrhea that was full of Ebola. Even the sweat is considered contagious! Wish the CDC could be sued as well!

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I think that is the truth, because the biolabs rated Ebola Level 4 maximum precautions hazmat suit and respirator, yet the CDC had the nerve to say that all that was needed was a gown, mask and gloves for the healthcare staff that are working with critically ill, patients with prolific vomiting and diarrhea that was full of Ebola. Even the sweat is considered contagious! Wish the CDC could be sued as well!

It is not the truth. Ebola is not spread via the airborne route. It simply isn't. One doesn't have to believe the CDC to know that ebola is not transmitted that way. Simply look at the infection patterns in Africa, look at the total lack of an epidemic in Dallas after Mr. Duncan had contact with dozens of people after he became sick, etc., etc., etc. If it were airborne, we would have had many many people infected. Instead, only two. TWO.

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Specializes in MICU, SICU, CICU.

Aerosolized viruses or bacteria in body fluids can attach to dust particles in the air via coughing, sneezing, dental drilling, nebulizers, disrupted ventilator circuits, and flushing of toilets. Some are deadly and some are not.

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Aerosolized viruses or bacteria in body fluids can attach to dust particles in the air via coughing, sneezing, dental drilling, nebulizers, disrupted ventilator circuits, and flushing of toilets. Some are deadly and some are not.

That doesn't mean it qualifies as an airborne transmitted virus. Not sure of your point.

Airborne-transmitted viruses can travel great distances in the air. They are not heavy like large droplet transmitted viruses (which fall relatively quickly to the ground), and can stay in the air (and have the potential to infect others) for hours after the ill person has left the premises. It is almost unimaginable to think about the impact of ebola on the world if it were actually transmitted via the airborne route. When Amber Vinson traveled via airplane after becoming symptomatic, she only theoretically presented a risk to the people in her immediate vicinity. If ebola was transmitted via the airborne route, she would have endangered everyone in her terminal, for hours after she boarded the plane. But because that's not how ebola is spread, she (not surprisingly) infected not a single person. Nor did any of the other individuals who were found to have traveled via airplane while infected.

VDU's blog: Ebola virus may be spread by droplets, but not by an airborne route: what that means

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Specializes in NICU, PICU, Transport, L&D, Hospice.

Frankly the ignorance of some nurses regarding Ebola and it's mode of transmission is disheartening.

If you want to see what a very very contagious airborne disease looks like, consider measles.

Ebola is decidely NOT airborne and is not even close to being as contagious as measles.

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From the article:

"...Before Pham's flight to Maryland on Oct. 16, she said, a doctor wearing a video camera under his protective hood came into her room and said he was filming her for educational purposes. Pham said she did not give permission for the video, which was released to the media."

When I read the article, it left me with the impression that Ms. Pham believed the doctor with the go-cam on was filming for internal staff training purposes. Given the fact that she was on pain medication I'm not surprised. Even when I watched the released video I got sick to my stomach. Seemed pretty clear to me at that time she was not specifically addressing the general public, but the medical staff.

Not sure how anyone else feels about that video. I just know it made me ill because I felt like a creep seeing it. As if I was participating in some kind of bad intentioned voyeuristic experiment.

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When I saw it, I thought it seemed a little awkward...

I recognize the voice of that doctor, and if it is who I think it is, and knowing him from past interactions, I'm stunned that he would be a part of that, if as she claims, it was done without her permission and released against her wishes.

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The CDC's protocol was changed AFTER the two Dallas nurses became ill. The nurses were allegedly wearing what was recommended at the time by the CDC, which was more suited to field conditions in countries without adequate resources than in US hospitals.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Pp28QYJDMI

PPE is discussed at the 3:00 minute mark.

Ahaa! I was unaware of that, thank you for the correction.

Diff'ernt ball game then.

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I loathe how litigious this society is too...

A skilled attorney once opined, "when the economy gets tough, the lawyers get going." He referred to those who sue for stuff without any legal basis. Keeping in mind there are always two sides to every story (and case)... and often three or more... ;)

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