Question

In a busy emergency department, a patient with a known drug allergy is mistakenly administered a medication to which they are allergic. The patient experiences a severe allergic reaction that requires immediate intervention. The incident prompts a review to determine if negligence occurred. Select all of the following elements that are necessary to prove negligence in the scenario described:

A) The nurse had previously cared for the patient without any incidents.
B) The patient's family was not present during the medication administration.
C) The patient experienced a severe allergic reaction.
D) The nurse followed the emergency department's protocols.
E) There was a failure to protect the patient against an unreasonable risk.
F) The patient was admitted to the hospital for further monitoring.
G) The medication administration error was documented in the patient's chart.
H) A connection exists between the nurse's conduct and the patient's allergic reaction.

Answer 1

The necessary elements to prove negligence in the scenario described are C) The patient experienced a severe allergic reaction, E) There was a failure to protect the patient against an unreasonable risk, and H) A connection exists between the nurse's conduct and the patient's allergic reaction.

Step-by-step explanation:

In this case, the key elements required to establish negligence are the patient's severe allergic reaction (C), indicating harm caused, the failure to protect the patient against an unreasonable risk (E), showing a breach of duty, and the connection between the nurse's conduct and the allergic reaction (H), establishing causation.

The occurrence of a severe allergic reaction (C) is a crucial factor in negligence cases as it signifies harm caused due to the error. This harm is essential to proving negligence, as negligence is generally defined as a breach of duty that results in harm. In this situation, the severe allergic reaction directly links the medication error to tangible harm experienced by the patient.

The failure to protect the patient against an unreasonable risk (E) is another vital element. It demonstrates that the standard of care expected in a busy emergency department was not met, and a preventable error occurred. Negligence requires a breach of duty, and the failure to protect the patient establishes this breach.

Finally, establishing a connection between the nurse's conduct and the patient's allergic reaction (H) is critical in proving causation. This element ensures that the nurse's actions directly led to the harm suffered by the patient. Without this link, it would be challenging to attribute the allergic reaction to the nurse's specific conduct, undermining the negligence claim.