Negligence at work has been a signature specialty of an Allen nurse attorney when handling cases for some nurses. However, some nurses tend to forget this fact because they really felt like they should be responsible even if they never intended to commit such an error.
One such incident occurred on or about July 4, 2018, to an RN in Allen. During the initial time of the incident, she was employed as RN in a medical facility in Allen and had been in the position for more than one year.
On or about July 4, 2018, the RN failed to intervene and transfer a patient to the local Emergency Department (ED) in a timely manner. The RN was notified the patient had not eaten for several days, had inappropriately received 20 Units of Isophane Insulin that morning, and had a Blood Glucose of 51mg/dL at 11:30 AM, with new-onset lethargy. The RN assessed the patient with the physician at that time, witnessed the patient receive Sublingual Glucagon, discontinued all insulin orders, and ordered a family care plan meeting for possible Percutaneous Endoscopic Gastrostomy (PEG) placement and/or hospice. She was notified the patient had Blood Glucose of 41mg/dL at 12:12 PM and was still unresponsive to repeated Glucagon administration.
Nursing staff requested the patient be sent to the local ED; instead, the RN ordered another dose of Glucagon be given, an Intravenous (IV) line be placed, and Dextrose 10% Injection (110) be administered intravenously. The nursing staff informed the RN that neither Intramuscular (IM) Glucagon or D10 was available at the facility, and She ordered Dextrose 5% Intravenously (D5) instead.
After three failed attempts by nursing staff to start the IV, the RN was notified, and the patient was sent to the ED at 2:10 PM. Subsequently, the patient died on July 10, 2018, at the hospital. The RN’s conduct was likely to injure the resident from a potential delay in necessary medical treatment and may have contributed to the patient’s suffering prolonged and unrelieved hypoglycemia, and subsequent death.
This issue was filed as a complaint and sent to the Texas Board of Nursing. The Texas Board of Nursing has full jurisdiction in all cases that may affect the status of an RN or LVN’s license in the future. But they advise nurses to attend a hearing first before placing the sentence, which the RN attended for her career’s security.
In response to the incident, the RN reports the nurse informed her that the patient was not eating, however, the nurse had administered 20 units of Isophane Insulin. She reports she gave orders to stop all insulin and administer Glucagon and promptly made her way to the long term unit to assess the patient with the physician. The RN reports they assessed the patient to be at her neurological baseline; she personally wrote the order to discontinue all insulin orders, administer Glucagon, and a family care plan meeting for possible peg tube placement and/or hospice discussion. She reports she personally saw the nurse administer Sublingual Glucagon to the patient; she asked the nurse to recheck Blood Glucose levels and call her with the results.
The RN reports the patient was stable and at baseline when she and the physician left the facility. She reports when the nurse called again with concerns of low Blood Glucose level, she ordered STAT Intramuscular Glucagon again and a peripheral Intravenous Line to be started for Dextrose 10% administration. She reports the nurse informed her that neither Intramuscular Glucagon nor Dextrose 10% was available; therefore, she asked the nurse to give Dextrose 5% instead. She reports the nurse informed her that they had been unable to place an intravenous line after multiple attempts; and at this point, she ordered the patient to be sent out to the nearest Emergency Department for evaluation and treatment.
As a result, the Texas Board of Nursing placed her RN license to disciplinary action. It’s too bad that she failed to hire an Allen nurse attorney for assistance, knowing that she had every reason to defend herself in the first place. Her defense would have gotten better if she actually sought legal consultation from a Texas nurse attorney as well.
So if you’re facing a complaint from the Board, it’s best to seek legal advice first. Allen Nurse Attorney Yong J. An is willing to assist every nurse in need of immediate help for nurse licensing cases. To contact him, please dial (832)-428-5679 for a confidential consultation or for more inquiries.