This transcript has been edited for clarity.
Robert D. Glatter, MD: Welcome! I'm Dr Robert Glatter, medical advisor for Medscape Emergency Medicine. Today we have a distinguished panel joining us to discuss an important legal decision resulting in a criminal conviction, involving a medical error due to administration of the wrong medication by a critical care nurse that led to a patient's death.
Joining us to discuss this case is Dr Megan Ranney, professor of emergency medicine and the academic dean at Brown University School of Public Health. Also joining us is Dr Jane Barnsteiner, emeritus professor at the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing and an expert on patient safety, quality improvement, and system modeling. Welcome to both of you.
Jane Barnsteiner, PhD, RN: Thank you.
Megan L. Ranney, MD, MPH: Thank you. It's a joy to be with you.
Glatter: Let's discuss this very tragic case involving RaDonda Vaught, who was an ICU nurse who was recently convicted in Tennessee of criminally negligent homicide and gross neglect of an impaired adult. She accidentally administered a paralytic medication, vecuronium, instead of a sedativeVersed, which was ordered to sedate a 75-year-old patient who had a brain bleed and TBI.
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COMMENTARY
Are All Medical Errors Now Crimes? The Nurse Vaught Verdict
Robert D. Glatter, MD; Megan L. Ranney, MD, MPH; Jane Barnsteiner, PhD, RN
DisclosuresApril 13, 2022
This transcript has been edited for clarity.
Robert D. Glatter, MD: Welcome! I'm Dr Robert Glatter, medical advisor for Medscape Emergency Medicine. Today we have a distinguished panel joining us to discuss an important legal decision resulting in a criminal conviction, involving a medical error due to administration of the wrong medication by a critical care nurse that led to a patient's death.
Joining us to discuss this case is Dr Megan Ranney, professor of emergency medicine and the academic dean at Brown University School of Public Health. Also joining us is Dr Jane Barnsteiner, emeritus professor at the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing and an expert on patient safety, quality improvement, and system modeling. Welcome to both of you.
Jane Barnsteiner, PhD, RN: Thank you.
Megan L. Ranney, MD, MPH: Thank you. It's a joy to be with you.
Glatter: Let's discuss this very tragic case involving RaDonda Vaught, who was an ICU nurse who was recently convicted in Tennessee of criminally negligent homicide and gross neglect of an impaired adult. She accidentally administered a paralytic medication, vecuronium, instead of a sedativeVersed, which was ordered to sedate a 75-year-old patient who had a brain bleed and TBI.
Medscape Emergency Medicine © 2022 WebMD, LLC
Any views expressed above are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect the views of WebMD or Medscape.
Cite this: Are All Medical Errors Now Crimes? The Nurse Vaught Verdict - Medscape - Apr 13, 2022.
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Authors and Disclosures
Authors and Disclosures
Authors
Robert D. Glatter, MD
Assistant Professor of Emergency Medicine, Department of Emergency Medicine, Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell, New York, NY
Disclosure: Robert D. Glatter, MD, has disclosed no relevant financial relationships.
Megan L. Ranney, MD, MPH
Academic Dean of Public Health; Professor of Emergency Medicine, Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island
Disclosure: Megan L. Ranney, MD, MPH, has disclosed the following relevant financial relationships:
Serve(d) as a speaker or a member of a speakers bureau for: Medscape; Merck
Jane Barnsteiner, PhD, RN
Professor Emerita, School of Nursing, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia
Disclosure: Jane Barnsteiner, PhD, RN, has disclosed no relevant financial relationships.