Nurse busted for drugs/Hep C

Published

On Monday, officials announced a potential patient health crisis at MultiCare's Good Samaritan Hospital in Puyallup.

Officials there are urging thousands of people who may have been exposed to Hepatitis C in the hospital's Emergency Department between Aug. 4, 2017, and March 23, 2018, to get tested.

MultiCare says one of their own emergency room nurses was stealing medications and may have already exposed at least two patients to the disease. As a result, the hospital is now urging thousands of former patients to be tested for Hepatitis B, C and HIV because of the nurse's alleged actions.

MultiCare: Nurse stealing drugs may have exposed thousands to Hepatitis C | Q13 FOX News

And has been arrested:

Arrest made in hepatitis C outbreak at Puyallup hospital. Nurse could face assault charge | The News Tribune

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Specializes in Medsurg/ICU, Mental Health, Home Health.

So, this nurse injected him/herself with narcotics, *then used the same supplies on the patients*? Uhhh. I cannot for a moment fathom this. How? I'm serious, how was this done?

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Specializes in ICU/community health/school nursing.
So, this nurse injected him/herself with narcotics, *then used the same supplies on the patients*? Uhhh. I cannot for a moment fathom this. How? I'm serious, how was this done?

I wonder if it was the other way around - partial dose in the patient, then the rest into the nurse?

Profoundly sad for everyone.

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So, this nurse injected him/herself with narcotics, *then used the same supplies on the patients*? Uhhh. I cannot for a moment fathom this. How? I'm serious, how was this done?

They still aren't sure. They don't know if she was giving herself some first and then the rest to the patient, or just deliberately sharing needles.

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Nope nope nope :bluecry1:

Diversion is one thing, but when you're in a hospital filled with IV supplies laying around, why would you not just aseptically transfer your waste to a different syringe before injecting so that you aren't cross-contaminating yourself or the patient?

From the article, it sounds like they're going to compare the genetics of the viral strains for Hep C positive patients to determine if they were genetically linked to hers or not.

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Specializes in Critical Care.

There is now reporting that the nurse tested negative for Hep C, making it even less clear what went on.

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Specializes in ER.

News outlets are notorious for not getting their facts straight in order to create a more dramatic headline.

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Specializes in Critical Care.

It's possible that the hospital had a Hep C outbreak and has pinned it on a nurse-gone-rogue to avoid any culpability they may have

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