And then people wonder why I get irritable when they keep interrupting me when I am pulling meds 😕
It is not ok to keep harassing nurses with phone calls and interruptions while they are pulling narcotics and wasting meds, but it happens. It is up to us to tell people to back off and step down and we will get back to them when appropriate because otherwise accidents can happen, as in this case. Sorry, but this case is one thing on top of another in such a manner that one has to do contortions in order to make allowances for the number of missteps that led to the patient's death.
You make a valid point. I should look into my own insurance coverage. This should be a wakeup call to all, though, that we cannot allow ourselves to become overly complaisant with our protocols, procedures, and medications, but must always review and READ what we pull out of our machines because I have, in the past, pulled the wrong med out of a bin that said it should be another medication. Had I not been paying attention, a patient might have received the right dosage, but wrong medication. However, I read the med when pulled and noted the discrepancy, called pharmacy and alerted them. They were then able to come and review/fix the error, which was not a nursing error, but a stocking error caught before it hit the bedside. When we get too comfortable, that is when accidents are most likely to happen 😕
