This paper will discuss the case in medical malpractice when a pharmacist dispensed the wrong medications to a pregnant woman, which led to an abortion. The pharmacist had informed the woman that the drugs carried minimal risks to the unborn child. This essay will summarize the legal issues present in the case.It will then brainstorm risk-mitigation techniques that the hospital could have employed to prevent the situation. Finally, the paper will determine actions the nurse could have taken to improve the outcome.
Legal issues
The main issue in this case is that the pharmacist dispensed the wrong drugs to a pregnant patient leading to an abortion (McLennan & Elger, 2015).The nurse who administered the drug lacked any knowledge about the usage and implications of the dispensed drug. In this case, the pharmacist and nurse on duty administered Prostin instead of progesterone in order to stop virginal bleeding (McLennan & Elger, 2015). In his defense, the pharmacist claimed that he was sick at the time of this malpractice. Also, he reported that he was not familiar with progesterone drugs (McLennan & Elger, 2015).This impaired the fetus and led to the subsequent abortion. Moreover, the pharmacist complained that he was fatigued by overtime work and had asked for relieve from his colleague (Jones, 2015). The fetus did not survive. Therefore, the hospital, the nurse and pharmacist on duty were held liable for the medical malpractice.
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Risk-mitigation techniques
The hospital could have prevented this situation by applying pharmacy policies (McLennan & Elger, 2015). To begin with, the patient had a right which dictates how she is treated and which ensures patient satisfaction. Sadly, in this case, the healthcare practitioners did not respect the patient’s bill of rights. Drawing from the patient’s bill of rights which governs the relationship between a pharmacist and a patient, the patient is entitled to satisfactory pharmaceutical care as per the professional standards (McLennan & Elger, 2015). Additionally, the patient had the right to all the prescribed drugs or medications. Another technique that would have mitigated this situation involves following the various medical and pharmaceutical laws (McLennan & Elger, 2015). The healthcare practitioners mentioned in this case are liable for malpractice. The medical and pharmaceutical laws stipulate the required standards of practice and any violation of these codes of practice has serious legal implications. All the parties involved failed to follow all these regulations hence they must face legal action (Soni et al. 2016). For example, the nurse on duty lacked any knowledge about the usage and implications of the wrong medication she gave this patient. The law requires that a nurse must understand reasons for administering drugs.
Actions the nurse could have taken
The Society of Health System Pharmacists released guidelines that the nurse on duty could have implemented to improve the outcome and prevent the error. First, the nurse should have conducted independent calculations in order to double check the drug before administering to the patient (Jones, 2015). Doing this could have helped know that Prostin is a high-alert drug in pregnant women. High-alert drugs refer to medications, whichare likely to cause harm to a patient when administered in error. The Institute of Safe Medication Practices has also listed Prostin as a high-alert drug in pregnant patients (Soni et al. 2016). Another strategy, which could have helped improve outcomes, is taking time out between re-checking calculations. Healthcare practitioners are more expected to discover medical errors when there is adequate time between rechecks. According to the Society of Health System Pharmacists, even when nurses double checks drugs with the help of a colleague, as is often the case with IV medications, the danger of an error remains inevitable (Soni et al. 2016). This is because human beings tend to see what they expect to see. Therefore, whatever drug the pharmacist could have prescribed, chances are high that the nurse on duty could approve and administer the drug (Soni et al. 2016). The best way for the nurse to implement the double check guideline would be to read what the pharmacist prescribed to the patient, then have a second nurse double check it against the patient’s present condition, and then reverse the process (Soni et al. 2016).
Conclusion
Thousands patients die each year due to preventable medication errors. Whereas healthcare organizations cannot always prevent medical errors, they can at least employ techniques to mitigate risks and improve patient outcomes. Nurses and other medical practitioners can employ a wide range of techniques to prevent medical errors that lead patients to losing live. Ensuring that a patient is satisfied with the services being offered should be given priority, besides ensuring that the process is conducted safely.
References
Jones, T. (January 01, 2015). Fatigue management in emergency medical systems. Canadian Paramedicine.
McLennan, S., &Elger, B. (January 01, 2015). Criminal liability and medical errors in Switzerland: An unjust system?. Revue Suisse De Droit De La Santé = SchweizerischeZeitschriftFürGesundheitsrecht.
Soni, N. K., Thukral, N. K., &Hasija, Y. K. (January 01, 2016). Personalized Medicine in the Era of Genomics.
