Not "careless"

As an RN, I feel I need to explain how this one may have happened.  Double shifts, too many patients, not enough RNs,  not enough ancillary staff to back them up, pharmacy error, and on and on.  Someone had the heplock flush in their pocket and may have had the other in there too and "put back" the wrong one or the pharmacy placed the wrong bottle in the wrong place.  Whoever picked it up did not read the label and double check it.  Maybe they were tired.  Maybe they had three codes in a row right before this. 

Unfortunately, nurses, pharmacists and doctors are human beings and sometimes bad things happen.  It is not that they don't care.  Have you ever been doing your thing the best you could, as fast as you could with whatever you have day after day after day?  That is what these people do.  When something bad happens it is ugly and we all try to jump on the wagon to criticize.  We criticize each other too.  The bottom line is there but for the grace of God go I.  I hope those babies will be okay and that they discover what went wrong with their medication administration process.  I hope that whoever used the wrong vial will be okay too.  Can you imagine how they must feel?  In some jobs if we don't  like the outcome of what we are doing, we can start it over.  When the job is a human life what care and intense attention must be given to every detail. 

• Dennis Quaid's children in medicine mix up sm - Hey
  • What gets me about this is that the very same thing - annabanana
    • Change - nana
  • This is scary. How could they be so careless? nm - justme2
    • Not "careless" - nana
      • No excuse for this - lastmohican
        • hospital CEO's at fault too - jlynn
        • I agree. But I heard it was a careless "tech." - nm
      • I know, I also feel so sorry for the nurse who administered the meds (nm) - NC MT
  • That is sooooo sad!!! :( (nm) - NCMT

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