Question

The healthcare provider prescribes a medication in a dose that is considered toxic. The nurse administers the medication to the client, who later suffers a cardiac arrest and dies. What consequence can the nurse expect from this situation? Select all that apply.

1.The healthcare provider who prescribed the drug can be charged with negligence.
2.As the employing agency, only the hospital can be charged with negligence.
3.The nurse and prescriber may be terminated from employment to prevent a charge of negligence to the hospital.
4.Negligence will not be charged, as this event could happen to any reasonable person.
5.The nurse can be charged with negligence for administering the toxic dose

Answer 1

In the mentioned scenario, both the healthcare provider and the nurse might be charged with negligence due to their role in administering a toxic dose leading to a patient's death. The principle of nonmaleficence establishes an obligation to avoid causing harm, which the involved parties may have breached. The hospital could also face repercussions for systemic failures.

Step-by-step explanation:

In the scenario where a nurse administers a medication in a dose that is considered toxic, ultimately leading to a patient's death, multiple parties could face serious consequences. These are the possible outcomes:

• Negligence charges could be brought against both the healthcare provider who prescribed the medication and the nurse who administered it. In healthcare, there is a professional obligation to do no harm, which stems from the principle of nonmaleficence.
• The hospital as the employing agency might also face charges of negligence, especially if it failed to enforce proper protocols or if the error was systemic.
• Both the nurse and the prescriber could face termination of employment as part of the hospital's response to the incident. This action might be taken in an effort to manage liability and to prevent harm to other patients.
• Charging the nurse with negligence for administering a toxic dose is certainly a possibility, especially if the nurse was aware or should have been aware of the toxic nature of the dose.

The legal principle of nonmaleficence requires medical professionals to avoid causing harm. In this situation, both the prescriber and the nurse may have fallen short of this ethical and legal standard by issuing and administering a toxic dosage.