Sample Case: Medication Error in Hospital Setting
Sample Scenario
In this sample scenario, an elderly patient is administered 10 times the prescribed dose of a blood thinner, resulting in severe internal bleeding and a prolonged hospital stay. The hospital claims this was an isolated incident due to a misread physician's order.
LNC Approach
In a case like this, a legal nurse consultant would conduct a detailed review of:
- Medication administration records for the patient
- Pharmacy dispensing logs
- Nursing documentation and shift reports
- Hospital policies and procedures for medication administration
- Staff training records and previous incident reports
Potential Findings
A comprehensive review in this type of case might reveal:
- Previous medication errors involving the same medication on the same unit
- Inconsistencies between the electronic medication record and paper documentation
- Failure to implement recommended safety protocols after previous incidents
- Required medication double-checks being documented but not actually performed
- Staff training on high-risk medications being outdated or incomplete
Potential Impact on the Case
Findings from this type of analysis could establish whether this was an isolated incident or part of a pattern of systemic failures. The detailed documentation analysis might reveal patterns of negligence that extend beyond a single medication error.
In similar cases, this type of review has helped legal teams identify systemic issues, establish liability, and demonstrate negligence in medication administration protocols.