Legal Issues Case Study For Nursing Essay -- essays research papers

Legal Issues Case Study for Nursing Case 2 Nursing Situation: Cindy Black (fictitious name), a four-year-old child with wheezing, was brought into the emergency room by her mother for treatment at XYZ (fictitious name) hospital at 9:12 p.m. on Friday, May 13. Initial triage assessment revealed that Cindy was suffering from a sore throat, wheezing bilaterally throughout all lung fields, seal-like cough, shortness of breath (SOB), bilateral ear pain. Vital signs on admission were pulse rate 160, respiratory rate 28, and a temperature of 101.6 Â °Fahrenheit (F) (rectal). Cindy Black was admitted to the emergency department for treatment. Notes written by the emergency department physician on initial examination read, "Croupy female; course breath sounds with wheezing; mild bilateral tympanic membrane hyperemia. Chest X-ray reveals bilateral infiltrates." Medication prescribed included Tylenol (acetaminophen) 325 mg orally for elevated temperature, Bronkephrine (ethylnorepinephrine hydrochloride) 0.1 millimeter subcutaneous, and monitor results. Nurse Slighta Hand, RN (fictitious name) administered the medication as ordered and the child was observed for thirty minutes. Miss Hand's charting was brief, almost illegible, and read, "Medicines given as prescribed. Cindy observed without positive results. Physician notified." The physician examined the child; notes read that the child had "minimal clearing" in response to the bronchodilator. The following medications were then prescribed: Elixir of turpenhydrate with codeine one milliliter by mouth, Gantrinsin (sulfisoxazole) 10 Case 3 milliliters, and Quibron (theophylline-glycerol guaiacolate) 10 milliliters. Nurse Slighta Hand, RN charted the medications were given as prescribed. Her note at 11:08 p.m. read, "Vomiting; unable to retain medicine. Respiration increased (54), temperature 101.4Â °F (rectal); wheezing with increased difficulty breathing." No further notes were made regarding Cindy's condition on the emergency department record by the nurse, except to state that at 12:04 am, "child released from emergency department." Thirty minutes after discharge from the emergency department, Cindy Black was brought back to the hospital. This time her vital signs were absent, her skin was warm without mottling, and the pupils of the eye were dilated but reacted slowl... ...30 minutes) Â · Pulse rate, rhythm, quality (every 15 minutes) Â · Respiratory rate, rhythm, character (every 15 minutes) Â · Patency of the airway (at least every 15 minutes, more if in distress) Â · Blood pressure (every 30 to 60 minutes) Â · Skin color and temperature (every 15 minutes) Â · Level of consciousness (every 15 minutes) Â · Emesis amount, character, and frequency Summary: Communication throughout the nursing process is crucial for the provision of safe patient care consistent with the prevailing professional standard. Spoken communication among all members of the health-care team, and especially between nurse and physician for clarifying orders, planning patient care, and reporting significant patient observations is vital to the nursing process. Equally important is written communication by the nurse in the form of prompt and accurate entries in the medical record. References Bernzweig, E. (1996). The nurse's liability for malpractice. (6th ed.). St. Louis: Mosby Creasia, J. and Parker, B. (1991). Conceptual foundations of professional nursing practice. St. Louis: Mosby Earnest, V. (1993). Clinical skills in nursing practice. (2nd ed.). Philadelphia: J. B. Lippincott