Okay, I was rather appalled this week when a surgical patient was receiving 10 units of blood, 4 FFP's, ambumin, coded and then went back to the OR. All of this because....the surgeon cut through the aorta during a routine procedure. Yes, these things happen and I know surgeons are not above making errors, there are risks involved with every surgery, blah, blah, blah. The point is that the surgeons at my hospital didn't tell the patient or the family that an artery was unintentionally severed. Instead they say there was some uncontrolled bleeding during the prodedure...which leads the family to think the gall bladder being removed from the duct was where the bleeding occurred. When actually the sever was in a different location.
The nurses are not to mention the severed aorta to the patient or family and unless they request medical records, they will never know.
About a year ago a resident accidently placed a dialysis catheter in the carotid artery instead of the subclavian causing a huge internal bleed that almost occluded the patient's airway. This too was hush hush. Sheesh! Nurses can administer one medication two hours late and lose their jobs for it but docs get to cover up their errors. What is up with that?!?
at one of our sister hospitals a pt did not pursue litigation even thought the doc replaced the wrong knee. The doc went to the pt and apologized, the pt agreed the doc was remorseful--he was really upset.
Obviously, the other knee was eventually replaced!!!!!!
Yes, docs do try to cover up mistakes, probably more often than nurses.
HOWEVER, I think that there is a difference between doctor and nurse liability which contributes to this.
When a nurse gives the wrong drug or wrong dose or something, does the nurse get sued? NO, its the hospital that gets sued. ONly extremely rarely does the nurse face a lawsuit from a mistake. They might get demoted or fired by the hospital, but they dont have to worry about a lawyer coming after their personal assets. Nurses liability is basically shielded by the hospital.
ON the other hand, when a doc screws up, he is DIRECTLY liable. He cant hide behind the hospital, he is most certainly going to be a direct defendant in a lawsuit. The lawyer can personally confiscate his assets and garnish his wages.
The stakes are a lot higher for doctors in terms of liability. This doesnt mean its OK for them to cover up their errors, but its worth noting as to why docs may feel more insecure about making mistakes than nurses.
Yes, docs do try to cover up mistakes, probably more often than nurses.
HOWEVER, I think that there is a difference between doctor and nurse liability which contributes to this.
When a nurse gives the wrong drug or wrong dose or something, does the nurse get sued? NO, its the hospital that gets sued. ONly extremely rarely does the nurse face a lawsuit from a mistake. They might get demoted or fired by the hospital, but they dont have to worry about a lawyer coming after their personal assets. Nurses liability is basically shielded by the hospital.
ON the other hand, when a doc screws up, he is DIRECTLY liable. He cant hide behind the hospital, he is most certainly going to be a direct defendant in a lawsuit. The lawyer can personally confiscate his assets and garnish his wages.
The stakes are a lot higher for doctors in terms of liability. This doesnt mean its OK for them to cover up their errors, but its worth noting as to why docs may feel more insecure about making mistakes than nurses.
You are misinformed. Nurses can and do get sued. It isn't as often but it does happen. And nurses face loss of licensure at every turn, much more so than docs as docs guard each other and nurses turn each other in. A nurse has to watch her back constantly.
You are misinformed. Nurses can and do get sued. It isn't as often but it does happen. And nurses face loss of licensure at every turn, much more so than docs as docs guard each other and nurses turn each other in. A nurse has to watch her back constantly.
YOu misread me. Of course nurses get sued occassionally, but its nowhere in the same universe as doctors.
Nurses dont have "deep pockets." Nurses are generally covered by hospital insurance policies. Doctors are almost never covered by hospital insurance and have to carry their own policies.
A nurse can carry her own policy too, but its strictly optional.
Lawyers go after deep pockets. Nurses are not deep pockets, so they are usually left out of lawsuits, even if the nurse made a mistake. INstead of going after the nurse, the lawyer will sue the hospital for the nurse's mistake. Of course there are exceptions, but they are rare.
YOu misread me. Of course nurses get sued occassionally, but its nowhere in the same universe as doctors.
Nurses dont have "deep pockets." Nurses are generally covered by hospital insurance policies. Doctors are almost never covered by hospital insurance and have to carry their own policies.
A nurse can carry her own policy too, but its strictly optional.
Lawyers go after deep pockets. Nurses are not deep pockets, so they are usually left out of lawsuits, even if the nurse made a mistake. INstead of going after the nurse, the lawyer will sue the hospital for the nurse's mistake. Of course there are exceptions, but they are rare.
Correct me if I am wrong but doesnt the nurse then lose her Job?
Not telling a patient of an error is not the same as covering it up. Covering up would be manipulating documentation and and other legal records the OP did say it was in the chart but the patient would need to look into the chart to find out. What it comes down to is there a legal obligation to inform a patient of this type of an error?
Correct me if I am wrong but doesnt the nurse then lose her Job?
She could lose her job, absolutely. But honestly in today's job market thats not really a big deal. A nurse who gets fired could easily get 10 job offers the same day. There is ahuge nursing shortage in just about every part of the country.
Luvbuble
61 Posts
The more I hear about the surgeons malpractise and their attitude towards nurses, the least that I want to work in the OR.