Final answer:
Responsibility may be attributed to Karen RN for the medication error, Susan RN for failing to report Karen's intoxication, and the hospital itself under vicarious liability, making all three parties potentially responsible.
Step-by-step explanation:
When addressing the question of responsibility in a scenario where a nurse was intoxicated and made a medication error, leading to patient injury, multiple parties may be held accountable. The nurse who was intoxicated, Karen RN, would bear responsibility for providing care while impaired, which is a breach of professional and ethical standards. This would make her directly responsible for the medication error that resulted from her intoxication. However, Susan RN, having noticed that Karen was intoxicated but failing to report it, could also be held accountable.
Susan had a duty to act in the best interests of the patient's safety and by not reporting the impaired colleague, she failed in that duty. The hospital could potentially be held liable as well, under the legal doctrine of vicarious liability, for the actions of its employees while they are performing their job duties. Therefore, the answer would be 2) Susan RN, Karen RN, and the hospital. They all may bear some level of responsibility for the incident leading to the patient's injury. Karen for the error itself, Susan for failing to act to prevent it, and the hospital for the actions of its employees.