A physician asked me to inappropriately administer sedation drugs and my director agreed, saying the doctor would be responsible if anything went wrong. I disagree. What do you think?
Friday October 23, 2009
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I was asked to administer moderate sedation drugs via IV for a procedure. Our hospital policy states NPO four hours prior to procedure. The doctor doing the procedure didn't want to wait because he had a plane to catch, so he told me to go ahead and do it anyway. I didn't want to do this, so I asked my department director and she said I had to do this because the doctor will be the one responsible. I disagree because I am the one assessing the patient for the procedure and giving the drugs. What do you think?
Tom
It would be a wonderful world indeed if a physician (or any other person for that matter) could simply say he or she will be responsible for a decision or procedure for which a nurse is accountable and responsible. As you can guess, that is not the case.
A nurse must perform an assessment and evaluate a patient for the specific treatment, medication, or other care that he or she is administering. If a patient does not meet the required criteria for a procedure (established through hospital policy and standards of practice), the nurse can and should notify his or her supervisor and not participate in the questioned treatment. In addition, an incident/occurrence report should be filed with risk management pursuant to the facility policy.
If an injury to, or the death of, the patient in your question occurred based on your brief description, it is quite clear that you — as the nurse who raised concerns and spoke to the department director, but gave the medication anyway — would also be named in the suit right along with the facility, the department director, and the physician. Each could share liability for his or her part in causing the injury to the patient if the patient or his estate proved professional negligence because of the respective breaches of standards of care.
Sincerely,
Nancy
Nancy J. Brent, RN, MS, JD, is an attorney in private practice in Wilmette, Ill. This information is for educational purposes only and is not intended as legal or any other advice. The reader is encouraged to seek the advice of an attorney or other professional when an opinion is needed.
