I have lost sleep last night worrying about something that happened at work. I am an agency nurse. A few weeks ago I cared for a patient who came up from the ED. The patient was being admitted because he had a cough for one month and the day of admission coughed up blood. I can't remember the patient's admitting dx, however, the patient was ordered for AFB cultures. I did the admission paperwork, and told the charge nurse about the possible tb, she actually got the proper masks for me and others to wear. I also requested that she get maintenance to turn on the negative pressure in the room. I educated the nursing assistant and family about wearing a mask. I wrote a note in the bedside chart about educating the family to wear masks. I gave report to the oncoming nurse that night about the patient, I am absolutely certain that I told him/her that the patient was being worked up for tb. The problem is that my boss told me that they (hospital infection control nurse) have called him because apparently no one knew that the patient might have tb and no one was wearing a mask for the next several days.The one thing I forgot to do was put the droplet isolation sign on the door. I remember this because it hit me later when I thought about it. Although I feel bad that I forgot the sign, the charge nurse was aware, and so was the oncoming nurse. Am I legally responsible for others not wearing a mask? Is this considered negligence, or a public safety issue? Please help, as I have lost sleep over this! I have recently started a new job working monday-friday and won't be going there again. I feel bad and am worried. Thanks for any response.
