Introduction
Hospitals and medical professionals must meet a specific standard of care. Healthcare malpractice arises when a medical practitioner fails to offer a patient the proper care, which results in injury or death. In malpractice cases, a medical mistake is usually involved in the diagnosis or aftercare. Ms. Pinellas had a negative result from broken care guidelines while undergoing chemotherapy. This essay will assess the quality-of-care violators and the risk mitigation measures.
APN Role
Practitioner
Any Advanced Practice Nurse (APN) function requires reasonable clinical practice, albeit the specific skill set varies depending on the demands of the patient demographic. APNs display a range of expertise while building on the Registered Nurse (RN) competency. APNs also possess a higher level of data integration and a large amount of role independence (Hoskins et al., 2018). The APN is willing to take on ownership and responsibilities for patient issue evaluation, treatment, and intervention, as well as advancing health.
Standards of Care Violations
Standard of Care Violation to Administrator
The competencies each practitioner should have to provide high-quality care are thoroughly explained in standards of care, which are authoritative pronouncements. Administrators are in charge of managing nurses and other healthcare professionals. They recruit and train nurses, create work schedules and evaluate performance (Kreidleih et al., 2016). The standard of care violation to administrators was understaffing which made available nurses had to work double shifts making them tired and prone to committing mistakes. Inadequate staffing is a risky situation and it is unethical.
Standard of Care Violation on Practitioner
The practitioner is responsible for the interest of the patient while possessing all the technical expertise required to carry out their tasks of providing quality care. To guarantee the highest performance and quality care, practitioners should work with patients and their peers. In the case study, the practitioner did not describe the nature of the problem that had transpired to Ms. Pinellas.
Standard of Care Violation on Educators
In the hospital unit, educators are qualified individuals who instruct other nurses. High levels of practical understanding and competence are needed in nursing. Educators are essential since they may leverage their prior academic and professional experiences to RNs in nursing theory (Kreidleih et al., 2016). The educators assist nurses in applying and honing their abilities in a realistic environment. In the case of Ms. Pinellas, the educators did not offer adequate instruction to RNs leading to negligence where a nurse found that the IV was dislodged.
Risk Management Steps Before Incident to Alleviate Issue
First Risk Management Step
Having enough employees is important to control the risk and stop disasters. Patient satisfaction rises, nurses experience less fatigue and burnout thanks to sufficient staffing levels (Bookman & Zane, 2020). The facility management should set up ideal nurse-to-patient ratio of 1:3 and develop internal structures that endorse patient care and higher-quality treatment. It should also provide the correct work-life harmony for its personnel. The hospital will have to ensure that all professional standards are strictly followed.
Second Risk Management Step
The hospital administration should instruct nurses in all facets of risk management tactics, including how to foresee and address problems. The frequency and intensity of such dangers can be decreased by nurses by spotting them quickly. There will be a plan of action in effect in case anything does go amiss. This aids nurses in maximizing results and preparing for the unanticipated.
Third Risk Management Step
The facility should ensure comprehensive documentation to be used as a prospective reference point. For efficient communication between medical practitioners and patients, the precision and clarity of patient documents are crucial. Maintaining accurate medical records makes guarantee that a patient’s evaluated demands are fully satisfied and manages risks.
Risk Management Steps After Incident to Alleviate Issue
First Risk Management Step
The institution must acknowledge its errors and extend an apology in its response to Ms. Pinellas’ action. By facilitating an understanding and restoring mutual comfort, apologizing for aids in the mending of relationships. One can make others aware they are not delighted with what happened and will not be doing it again by offering a heartfelt apology. In the long run, such a strategy can significantly lower the burden of malpractice.
Second Risk Management Step
To prevent a lawsuit and establish an understanding of compensation, it is essential to have an honest and trustworthy talk with the patient. Trust is a crucial element of quality healthcare since the bond between patients and practitioners might be deeper and more genuine if the patients believe them (Bookman & Zane, 2020). Opening up to the patient on the extent of the injury and explaining measures they can take to control would manage the risk of lawsuit.
Third Risk Management Step
Early review of the injury and attempts to try and treat it is a step that should be adopted to manage risk after the incident. In the long run, the patient and the medical team might benefit significantly from the prompt intervention for injuries. It shows that management is dedicated to the patient, reducing the likelihood of a lawsuit. It gives the harmed patient the chance to get the prompt, appropriate care they require.
Conclusion
With more dependable and long-lasting processes, providers can benefit from an overall improvement in the quality of the clinical setting. This enables them to accomplish their objective of better patient experiences and optimizing care delivery. In the case of Ms. Pinellas, there were standard care violations from administrators, practitioners, and educators. However, there are risk management steps that the institution would follow to alleviate the issue before and after the incident.
References
Bookman, K., & Zane, R. D. (2020). Surviving a medical malpractice lawsuit. Risk Management in Emergency Medicine, 38(2), 267-277. Web.
Hoskins, K., Grady, C., & Ulrich, C. M. (2018). Ethics education in nursing: Instruction for future generations of nurses. Online Journal of Issues in Nursing, 23(1), 4. Web.
Kreidleih, F. Y., Moukadem, H. A., & El-Saghir, N. S. (2016). Overview, prevention and management of chemotherapy extravasation. World Journal of Clinical Oncology, 7(1), 87-97. Web.