Final answer:
No, a nurse may still be held legally liable for carrying out an erroneous order, as nurses are expected to use their professional judgment to evaluate and question the validity of any orders prior to execution.
Step-by-step explanation:
No, the fact that a physician wrote an erroneous order does not excuse the nurse from legal liability if he or she carries out that order.
In the healthcare profession, both physicians and nurses have a duty to provide safe and competent care to their patients. If a nurse follows a physician's erroneous order that goes against standard medical practice or the nurse's own professional judgment, the nurse might still be held liable. The nurse is expected to use critical thinking and professional judgment to identify and question any orders that appear to be incorrect or potentially harmful. It is part of the nurse's responsibilities to clarify and verify the orders before administering any treatment or medication. The legal doctrine of respondeat superior (let the master answer) suggests that employers could be held liable for the actions of their employees, but this does not absolve individual health-care workers from responsibility for their actions, especially when patient safety is at risk.
Therefore, both the individual healthcare provider and the healthcare institution might face legal repercussions for not addressing a flawed procedure or order. Government regulations and hospital policies are in place to ensure that medical procedures are safe and that any errors are quickly identified and corrected, therefore the involvement in ensuring fail-safe protocols and practices is a collective responsibility.