Criminal Prosecution for Nursing Practice

Fred is an 83-year-old male who is being admitted to the medical-surgical unit status post fall
July 9, 2018
NURSING – Ethics – Discussion 3
July 9, 2018

Criminal Prosecution for Nursing Practice

Criminal Prosecution for Nursing Practice

Criminal Prosecution for Nursing Practice
Read the following case study and submit a 1- to 2-page essay in a Microsoft Word document using APA 6th edition in response to the questions.
Case Study:
Until recently the risk of criminal prosecution for nursing practice was nonexistent unless nursing action rose to the level of criminal intent such as the case of euthanasia leading to murder charges. However in April 1997 three nurses at the Centura St. Anthony Hospital outside of Denver were indicted by a Colorado grand jury for criminally negligent homicide in the death of a newborn. Public records show that one nurse was assigned to care for the baby. A second nurse offered to assist her colleague in caring for the baby. A third nurse was a nurse practitioner in the hospital nursery. Because the baby was at risk for congenital syphilis the physician ordered that the nurses give 150000 units of intramuscular penicillin which would have required five separate injections.
In relation to other problems the same day the baby was subjected to a lumbar puncture which required six painful attempts. To avoid inflicting further pain nurse two asked the nurse practitioner whether there was another route available for the administration of the penicillin. Nurse two and the nurse practitioner searched recognized pharmacology references and determined that intravenous administration would be acceptable. The nurse practitioner had the authority to change the route and directed nurse two to administer the medication intravenously rather than intramuscularly. Unrecognized by the nurses the pharmacy erroneously delivered the medication prepared and ready to administer in a dose ten times greater than was ordered1.5 million units. As nurse two was administering the medication intravenously the baby died. The Colorado Board of Nursing initiated disciplinary proceedings against nurse two and the nurse practitioner but not against nurse one. The grand jury indicted all three nurses on charges of criminally negligent homicide but did not indict the pharmacist (Calfee & Plum 1997).
Respond to the following:
Reference:
Calfee B. E & Plum S. D. (1997).Nurses indicted: Three Denver nurses face prisonin a case that bodes ill for the profession. Retrieved from http://business.highbeam.com/4397/article-1G1-19588498/nurses-indicted-three-denver-nurses-face-prison-case
Support your responses with examples.
Cite any sources in APA format.