August 8, 1999: Pregnant Prison Inmate Complains of Miscarriage, Corrections Nurse On Duty Ignores Symptoms?Ferris v. County of Kennebec, 44 5. Supp.2nd 62-ME (1999)
Summary: Nursing assessment skills are one of out most valuable assets. They allow us to effectively evaluate our patients and communicate significant findings to physicians and other members of the healthcare team. In this case, a pregnant woman with a previous history of misscarriage complained of vaginal bleeding and abdominal discomfort. The assessment performed by the nurse fell negligently short of the required standard of care.
August 1, 1999:Nursing Duty to a Patient, "Does Not Guarantee" Safety Or Quality Of Care.Downey v. Mobile Infirmary Med. Ctr.-662 So. 2d 1152 (1995).Summary: When a nurse accepts report and responsiblity for the care of a patient, a duty to the patient is also accpeted. This duty is to provide a reasonable standard of care as defined by the Nurse Practice Act of the individual state and the facility Policy & Procedures. In this case, a post-op abdominal aneurysm repair patient was injured after falling from his bed to the floor. When lawsuit was filed the court initially mistook expert testimony to imply the role of the nure includes a guarantee of safety.
June 6, 1999: Nursing Home Rehabilitation Stay Proves Terminal. Was Quality of Care An Issue?
Lloyd v. County of Du Page, 707 NE2.d 1252-IL (1999)
Summary: Nursing Homes are frequently a patient's destination for rehabilitation following surgery. Common conditions fitting this bill include large bone fractures, hip replacements, and stroke. Following the acute episodes, the patients are too unstable to go home but not "sick" enough to have their hospital stays reimbursed by insurance companies. The purpose of admission to admission to a nursing home is to help the patient regain lost function, strength, and health. In this case, the patient would remain in the nursing home until her death due to complications.