In the following list, identify the instances of possible malpractice. (Select all that apply.)
a. The nurse accidentally administers an excessively large dose of a prescribed medication, and the patient becomes comatose.
b. The nurse runs a red light en route to work and causes an auto accident in which three people are seriously injured and one dies.
c. The nurse notes the patient's poor capillary return distal to a cast, becomes busy and does not report it, and the patient later loses limb function.
d. The nurse discusses a patient's condition in a disparaging way in a hospital elevator and is overheard by the patient's husband.
ANS: A, C
Medication errors and failure to communicate important information, resulting in harm to the patient, are common sources of malpractice. Running a red light en route to work and causing an auto accident in which three people are seriously injured and one dies would be considered negligence, because the nurse is not engaged in the practice of the profession while driving to work. Discussing a patient's condition in a disparaging way in a hospital elevator and being overheard by the patient's husband would be considered slander.
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