and i somehow missed it. my guy had a liver ablation done. i am a new grad in the recovery room, i usually turn all of my pts to check their skin quickly. this guy had an epidural so i am almost certain i seen his back, he was a little red, but most pts are after lying on their backs in the or. this pt was with me for a few hours and was discharged by another nurse on my unit. when he arrived tot he floor the nurse noticed a fluid filled bubble from a burn. the next day the or nurse manager was hunting me down because she thought i was the one who noticed the burn.
so of course, the hospital has to investigate this. i am worried that i am ina whole bunch of trouble. i am praying that i documented that my pt's skin was intact. my theory is that he could have been burned and the skin was just red and blistered over time. i have had minor burns before and i dont remember the skin blistering right away. either way i look at it i am in the wrong because i only assessed his skin once. he was in the recovery room for at least 2 or 3 hours. my coworker who discharged him didnt see his skin becasue she just sent him to the floor. i honestly dont even remember his back or if i even looked at it. but, i know i routinely look at everyone, but nothing about him is standing out in my mind.
i guess i am posting to kind of vent, and seek advice. whats the worst that can happen to me? i am terrified that i will be pulled into court. i never thought i would be in this situation so soon..... thanks for listening everyone
I don't know the area of the blistering but my suspicion is it was either a "bovi-burn" from the grounding pad not being as secured as it could have been or tape burns from fluid and rewarming under the dressing securing the epidural line. Either way I don't see how you could have any responsbility beyond what you documented. You didn't see any burns- the next nurse found them. By the documentation the blistering developed in the time between the two assesments. I don't see anything wrong with that other than someone needs to look into ways of preventing it. You did your job, the nurse following you did theirs, and it sounds like your manager is doing hers in trying to investigate this and avoid the complication in the future. Don't go looking for blame when there isn't any being offered. Look on this a a chance to participate in improving patient care and offer to work with your manager to help find ways of avoiding burns in the future. Managers love someone willing to help with updating policy books!
suanna
1,549 Posts
I don't know the area of the blistering but my suspicion is it was either a "bovi-burn" from the grounding pad not being as secured as it could have been or tape burns from fluid and rewarming under the dressing securing the epidural line. Either way I don't see how you could have any responsbility beyond what you documented. You didn't see any burns- the next nurse found them. By the documentation the blistering developed in the time between the two assesments. I don't see anything wrong with that other than someone needs to look into ways of preventing it. You did your job, the nurse following you did theirs, and it sounds like your manager is doing hers in trying to investigate this and avoid the complication in the future. Don't go looking for blame when there isn't any being offered. Look on this a a chance to participate in improving patient care and offer to work with your manager to help find ways of avoiding burns in the future. Managers love someone willing to help with updating policy books!