Malpractice is the greatest legal concern of health practitioners. A nurse commits malpractice when she or he fails to act as a reasonably prudent professional would have acted under the same circumstances. Malpractice can result from intent or negligence and may occur by commission or omission. The central issue in a malpractice lawsuit is whether the nurse met the prevailing standard of care: the basic minimum level of prudent care, applicable at the time the alleged malpractice took place, based on the “do no harm” principle.
Part 1
Review the case below:
Madison Wills worked night shift on a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) at a major medical center. She assumed the care of a very sick premature infant that weighed 1 kg (a little over 2 lb). Sylvia Smithson had been the infant’s nurse during the day shift. Sylvia had initiated the infant’s intravenous (IV) antibiotic infusion at 6:30 p.m., just before shift change. She reported that the infant’s IV line in his arm was patent and the IV site had no redness or swelling.
When Madison assessed the infant at 7:45 after the end-of-shift report, she noted that the baby’s arm was swollen and that the IV had infiltrated (was no longer in the vein). When she stopped the infusion, she also noted that the dose on the antibiotics was incorrect and was much too large for a very small infant.
Questions of discussion:
What are the four elements of a cause of action, and why must all exist to prove malpractice?
Did Madison commit malpractice? If not, what was her issue? Answer these questions in APA format.
Part 2
Research an online article about nurse malpractice on www.pubmed.com,
(Links to an external site.)
Links to an external site.
find an RN or APRN with an issue concerning malpractice.
What was the issues with the nurse?
What was the outcome of the patient?
What was the outcome of the nurse? Summarize the article in 5-10 sentences in APA format.