I am shocked and appalled by the behavior of the nurses at a Nevada endoscopy clinic. I am a registered nurse and I cannot believe that nurses would show such blatant disregard for patient safety, logic, and ethical decision making in their clinical practice. Everyone makes mistakes. I understand that. However, this is more than one isolated incident. This situation is multiple nurses reusing multiple syringes and vials on possibly thousands of patients. I just cannot understand how this could have happened. As a nurse, a person is supposed to act as a patient adovcate and use professional clinical judgement. There is no logic, no rationale in the world that could provide any kind of support for these actions. I cannot understand why none of the nurses and healthcare professionals working in this clinic took a stand against this behavior. These professionals took advantage of the trust the patient had placed in them and damaged the professional image of nursing. I feel so sorry for the patients that are affected by this inexcusable behavior. I feel sorry for the nurses and healthcare professionals that have to live with what they have done and the suffering they have inflicted both physical and emotional. While these professionals will likely lose their licenses, there is a lesson for all nurses and for everyone, really, from this situation. We should not be afraid to stand up against situations and behaviors that we know to be wrong. Nurses must protect the safety of their patients and work to ensure the quality of the care they are providing. Let's hope this tragedy is something we can all learn from and prevent from happening again in the future.
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Is this a big news story, because I don't have any referance to what you are talking about.
They used syringes on multiple patients! That is disgusting, and so so unsafe and backwards and stupid, and down right malicious. I hope they face some serious criminal charges.
It's a big news story here in Nevada. A lot of people need to be tested for Hepatitis and HIV now. The center was reusing syringes and vials of medication and changing out only the needle in order to save money.
here's one of the news stories http://www.lasvegasnow.com/Global/story.asp?S=7956471
http://www.progressiveu.org/blog/sawaboof
"...There is a crushing guilt that comes with being a Catholic. Whether things are good or bad or you're simply... eating tacos in the park, there is always the crushing guilt."
-30 Rock-
I'm appalled as well.
The nurses claim they were under orders by administration in order to save money. That is no excuse. If a doctor writes an order for you to give your patient 1mg of digoxin, you don't give it. It's a toxic dose. They write an order for a medication the patient's allergic to, you question that as well.
A nurse's number one priority is patient safety. Always. If you're ordered to use unsafe methods to save money, you report the facility. You refuse to do it, you use the safe method, and you document everything.
I don't think they should have their license's permanently revoked, but they should be suspended until they retake (or perhaps take for the first time, everyone's nursing school curriculum didn't work like mine) a class on patient advocacy and care.
http://www.progressiveu.org/blog/sawaboof
"...There is a crushing guilt that comes with being a Catholic. Whether things are good or bad or you're simply... eating tacos in the park, there is always the crushing guilt."
-30 Rock-