Patient Dies as a Result of Nurse Negligence, Medical Malpractice

Patient Died Due to Nurses Negligence: Every year, Connecticut patients die because of medical errors that could have been prevented. Nurse negligence is one type of medical malpractice that can result in personal injuries and even death to Connecticut patients.

A 66-year-old ovarian cancer patient recently died because of a medication error. The patient died after she took a non-prescribed medication that is actually lethal. The medication was administered to her by a temporary nurse at the hospital where she was receiving care.

In this case, the hospital locked out its regular nursing staff because of a labor dispute, and hired 500 replacement nurses to fill in. One of those replacement nurses was responsible for this serious medication error that led to this woman’s untimely death.

The nurse’s union has used this tragic story to support their position in the labor dispute, claiming that temporary nurses are not qualified to care for patients.

There is no question that this woman’s untimely death was a result of negligence. Who is responsible for this woman’s death? Is it the hospital for not properly training the temporary nurse? Is it the temporary nurse, who made such a lethal mistake? These questions are currently under investigation by the hospital and by the police.

Certainly, temporary nurses must possess the necessary training, education, and experience to be employed in a hospital setting. Temporary nursing staff play a vital role in providing patient care, especially in times of high demand, but their competence is critical to patient safety. If Connecticut hospitals fail to ensure that temporary nurses are properly trained and equipped to handle the complexities of the healthcare environment, serious medical errors can occur.

Such errors can lead to severe personal injuries or even patient deaths, making it crucial for hospitals to prioritize proper vetting, training, and ongoing support for temporary nursing staff. Without these safeguards, the risks to patient well-being are significantly heightened.

Source: The Sacramento Bee, “Nurses, hospital play blame game in death,” Tammerlin Drummond, Sept. 29, 2011 – Patient Died Due to Nurses Negligence