PerfectCustomPapers | Madison Wills worked night shift on a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) at a major medical center.

Madison Wills worked night shift on a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) at a major medical center.

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 who weighed 1 kg (a little over 2 lb). Sylvia Smithson had been the infant’s nurse during the day shift. Sylvia had started 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 flowing without difficulty 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 medication, she also noted that the dose on the antibiotics was incorrect and was much too large for a very small infant.

Answer the following questions:

What is the first thing that Madison should do after discovering these two problems?
Which of these problems (the infiltration or the dosing) was the most significant?
What is the nurse’s responsibility when an antibiotic is prepared by the pharmacy?
Did malpractice occur? Why or why not?
Who would you hold responsible for the errors which occurred? Why?
What could have been done to prevent the errors?

Sample Answer

Analyzing the Infant’s Care Situation

1. Immediate Action:

Madison should immediately notify the healthcare provider, likely the attending physician, about the infiltrated IV and the incorrect antibiotic dosage. This timely notification allows for prompt intervention to address the potential risks associated with these issues.

2. Significance of Problems:

The incorrect antibiotic dosage is the most significant problem. Overdosing an infant can have severe and potentially life-threatening consequences. Infiltration, while uncomfortable, is generally less dangerous, especially if addressed promptly

Full Answer Section

3. Nurse’s Responsibility for Pharmacy-Prepared Antibiotics:

While the pharmacy is responsible for preparing the medication, the nurse has a crucial role in verifying the accuracy of the dosage before administration. This includes:

Checking the medication label against the physician’s order.
Calculating the correct dosage based on the infant’s weight and the prescribed dose.
Confirming the dosage with another healthcare professional if there are any concerns.

4. Malpractice:

It is possible that malpractice occurred. To establish malpractice, the following elements must be proven:

Duty: The nurse had a duty to provide safe and competent care to the infant.
Breach: The nurse breached that duty by administering an incorrect dosage of the antibiotic.
Causation: The incorrect dosage caused harm to the infant.
Damages: The infant suffered damages as a result of the nurse’s actions.

Whether malpractice occurred would depend on a thorough investigation and legal analysis.

5. Responsibility for Errors:

The primary responsibility for the errors lies with the nurse. While the pharmacy may have made an error in preparing the medication, the nurse’s failure to verify the dosage before administration is a significant contributing factor. However, it is also important to investigate potential systemic issues within the healthcare facility, such as inadequate training or staffing, that may have contributed to the errors.

Ultimately, a comprehensive investigation would be necessary to determine the exact cause of the errors and assign responsibility.

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