28 Aug Was there negligence on the part of the nursing staff in the care of this patient?
For this week assignment, write a 1500-word essay addressing each of the following points/questions.
Read the case study presented : Chapter 10.
Guido
You be the Judge The elderly patient resided in a nursing home for almost a year before she died at the hospital. She had been hospitalized for six days, with admitting diagnoses of gram negative septicemia, gram negative sepsis, and acute myeloid leukemia. Also, discovered on admission to the hospital was a necrotic Stage III pressure ulcer on her coccyx, which was nowhere documented in the clinical records from the nursing home. A review of the nursing progress notes was
silent regarding any specialized mattress or other comfort devices used for this patient. The family sued on behalf of the patient, alleging that the patient’s demise from leukemia was linked to the negligence of the care that the patient had received in the nursing facility. The defense lawyer for the facil-ity denied any negligence in the cause of the patient’s death.
• Did the lack of documentation in the admitting nurse’s assessment and notes affect the ultimate outcome of this case?
• Was there negligence on the part of the nursing staff in the care of this patient?
• What could the nurse have done differently to facilitate a different outcome in this case?
• How would you decide this case?
Using the sample professional liability insurance policy (Chapter 11 p. 191-192 Figure 11-1) locate the various provisions:
• Limits of liability
• Declarations
• Deductibles
• Exclusions
• Reservation of rights
• Covered injuries
• Defense costs
• Coverage conditions and supplementary payments
• Did you have difficulty finding some of the sections? Would this be a policy that you would consider purchasing for your own liability coverage? Why or why not?
