Legal Aspects of Nursing - Case Study Example

An accurate record is the only proof a nurse may give in the event of a lawsuit against him or her. The nurses’ testimonies at trial would have a great influence on the case as they serve as further evidence of negligence and malpractice on their part. In my opinion, the other nurses made the situation turn from bad to worse with their own revelations of how they often “could not remember exactly” the prescribed medication and dosages. This is also coupled with the fact that the nurses also deviated from the doctors’ instruction by deviating from IM injections and preferring to administer medication through intravenous drips.

This new revelations could lead to further lawsuits on the rest of the nursing staff that had given the aforementioned testimonies. The court and the relevant State Board of Nursing should investigate on the possible root causes for the widespread malpractice and negligence by its nursing staff. The court should also give a court order to authorize the police to carry out drug tests on the indicted nurse so as to accurately determine if she after all had been diverting the narcotics for personal use.

The outcome of this medical exam may be used by the nurse to sue the institution if she the results back up her testimony. The affected health facilities should also formulate new policies and guidelines to ensure that similar cases do not happen again. These policies should also be designed in a manner that patient safety is given paramount importance. The health record is a legal document itself and based on the evidence available there are discrepancies between the handwritten record and the computerized medicine cabinet thus suggesting existence of negligence.

On the other hand the hospital on its part has failed to provide sufficient and clear cut policies to support and protect its nursing staff. The healthcare facility is legally liable for some of the nurses’ malpractices. The