Loss Of Morphine Case Study

Medical error is the third leading cause of death in the US, right behind heart disease and cancer. More than 200,000 people die annually as a result of diagnostic mistakes and negligence by healthcare professionals (Washingtonpost, 2016). In the healthcare industry, even the smallest mistakes and oversight could lead to severe consequences for both the patient and professionals. A healthcare professional would be held liable for any discrepancies that causes harm. The following case will analyze the ethical issue and negligence that lead to the death of an elderly woman.

Milwaukee is currently facing an epidemic. This epidemic is the usage of opioids. Every year, the death toll grows from opioids usage. Opioid overdoses are America's leading killer. People are becoming more and more addicted to them and it is causing the user to overdose on the drugs. There are many types of opioids with different usages. This causes short and long term effects which can later lead the body to experience withdrawal from the drugs.

Naloxone is an FDA approved overdose reversal medication. Naloxone is a prescription medication that when administered to an individual experiencing an opioid-related overdose restores the individual to consciousness and normal breathing (NAMSDL.org, 2016). Naloxone is always effective when administered correctly (NAMSDL.org, 2016). Since 2000, the drug overdose rate involving opioids has increased 200% (NAMSDL.org, 2016). Treatment centers, physicians and first responders in the rural areas of the United States need more access to naloxone to prevent opioid-related overdose deaths. The U.S Surgeon General Vivek Murthy stated, “People find themselves in overdose situations don’t have to lose their lives because family members or emergency responders don’t have access to the reversal drug naloxone” (Wolf, 2016). Expanding access to rural areas can save lives and prevent deaths.

"More than 30,000 people are dying every year from Opioid drug addiction." (Katel833). That means they are leaving behind 30,000 families grieving and at least another 30,000 people they may have introduced to the addiction of the drugs each year. Opioids drug are a very serious matter that goes around daily without being noticed. Although some precautions have not been a total fail, recent epidemic shows the problems with the Opioid drug addiction is bigger than what we can handle and cannot simply curb the epidemic.

A family member, friend, or other individual who is in a position to assist an individual who is apparently experiencing or at risk of experiencing an opioid-related overdose, is not subject to criminal prosecution for a violation of section 4731.41 of the Revised Code or criminal prosecution under this chapter if the individual, acting in good faith, does all of the following:

Medical errors are avoidable mistakes in the health care. These errors can take place in any type of health care institution. Medical errors can happen during medical tests and diagnosis, administration of medications, during surgery, and even lab reports, such as the mixing of two patients’ blood samples. These errors are usually caused by the lack of communication between doctors, nurses and other staff. A medical error could cause a severe consequence to the patient in cases consisting of severe injuries or cause/effect any health conditions, and even death. According to recent studies medical errors are not the third leading cause of death in the United States. (Walerius. 2016)

Understanding medications and relating them to a patient’s care is a legal requirement for the RN. Morphine an opioid analgesic is for moderate to severe pain which has respiratory suppression as the main side effect, naloxone and resuscitation equipment should be close by to reverse this effect. (Tiziani, 2013). Glyceryl trinitrate (GTN) used for chest pain, works by causing vasodilation to the blood vessels therefore increasing blood flow to the heart, the risk of repeated doses may lead to hypotension (Tiziani, 2013). Aspirin is used as an antiplatelet for Mr Jones and given for a suspected myocardial infarction (MI) due to plaque that may have broken away within a coronary artery and formed a blood clot that leads to a blockage (Tiziani,

3). The patient died the day after injection. The Hospital had treated the case as tragic in consequences mistake, and did

and can no longer work to support his family.  The inability to work because he

Even if no one found out about this mistake, eventually it could happen again if you don’t take the necessary steps to correct your mistake, and this time it could be deadly for your patient.

The indicators for a problem in this situation is Patrick’s signs and symptoms that he is exhibiting are alarming and making his co-workers curious about his behaSeptember 28, 2016

The department of Health and Human Services protects and guides the health and well being of individuals here in America (Thacker, 2014). They fulfill these duties providing Americans with adequate and efficient health and human services and monitoring services designed to increase the efficiency of care in the health system (Thacker, 2014). One of the services being monitored by the department of Health and Human Services is the electronic health record system, which carries private and vital information of patient’s health record enabling all eligible participating health workers access to these records (Thacker, 2014). A breach of the protective health information of patients in a health organization creates chaos as these are against the health insurance portability and accountability (HIPAA) law (Thacker, 2014). Hence, measure will have to be put in place to determine what caused the breach and how to rectify it to ensure the breach never happens again (Thacker, 2014).

What a tough fifty year old patient to treat. Her intolerance to pain medication noted in the history and physical preoperative record. The acute visceral pain from the hysterectomy crucially needs to be treated. Morphine Sulfate(MS) is the usual first choice to treat severe pain, furthermore intravenous would be a routine route for operative patients for immediate relief, passing the body’s first-pass of the liver, though all opioids including MS is metabolized in the liver and then eliminated through the urinary system (Arcangelo & Peterson, 2013). Patients with renal insufficiency may have increased and extended respiratory depression when administered morphine, as well

Based on the case, I came to the conclusion that the error that was both a risk behavior and reckless behavior that leads to an error in this type to situation. The error was a risk behavior because the sonographer knew that the right thing to do is to stay with the patient until someone comes and picks up the patient. However, he chose to leave the patient after his shift was over. In addition, I believed that this case is also a reckless behavior that leads to an error because the sonographer knows that leaving the patient alone in the room is wrong. However, he did it. As a result, this can lead to the patient falling.

A 45-year-old man is brought to the emergency department for altered mental status. His wife witnessed abnormal and repetitive body movements that lasted about ten minutes. He lost consciousness during the entire episode, which he does not remember. His family history is unremarkable and his wife denies any prior episodes. The patient is a relatively healthy man. He exercises three times per week and eats a balanced diet. He does not drink but has smoked a pack of cigarettes per day for ten years. On physical examination, he is awake but mildly disoriented. His wife mentions that two weeks ago, his doctor prescribed him a drug to quit smoking and that he has complained of nausea and dry mouth after taking the drug. Which of the following drugs is responsible for his symptoms?