General Discussion

rainbow4321

(9,974 posts) Thu Oct 2, 2014, 11:25 AM Oct 2014

As a nurse myself, the "nurse didn't pass the Liberia information along" blame bothers me [View all]

Yes, she was PART of the process but the buck shouldn't stop with just her. She triaged him, took the cursory info, BUT the medical provider who saw the patient is responsible for doing a complete history and physical assessment, independent of that triage information. Any medical provider who relies on ONLY cursory information from a 3rd party to diagnose and treat has no business being in healthcare. Sounds like the hospital is wanting to pick someone low on the food chain to blame so their ER DOCTORS don't take any blame.

Now having said that...if that nurse took the triage info and sent the patient back to the waiting room instead of to an isolation room, then, yeah, that is on her/him. Cleary he or she did because had the patient been put in an isolation room immediately that would have been a red flag to the rest of the team that night.

Definitive info can only be gotten from everyone's charting for that first visit...but mainly what did the medical provider who dispensed the antibiotic wrote in his or her notes for the history and physical.

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As a nurse myself, the "nurse didn't pass the Liberia information along" blame bothers me [View all] rainbow4321 Oct 2014 OP

Understaffed and overworked? n/t YarnAddict Oct 2014 #1

I'm willing to bet she/he entered the information into the electronic medical record. MohRokTah Oct 2014 #2

How many times do ER doctors ignore the written reports, come in and ask the same questions, kelliekat44 Oct 2014 #33

I'm thinking the lack of insurance thing plays into this. The triage bullwinkle428 Oct 2014 #3

my experience with nurses=positive. Doctors, not so much. Sheepshank Oct 2014 #4

Yeah, it's funny that they blame the one person who asked the question Orrex Oct 2014 #5

Like cops, docs and administrators protect their own. nt valerief Oct 2014 #26

The patient said he told the hospital he'd come from Liberia rocktivity Oct 2014 #6

plus DustyJoe Oct 2014 #13

The official language of Liberia is English hugo_from_TN Oct 2014 #15

There are a lot of different languages in Liberia and a lot of people who don't speak English uppityperson Oct 2014 #19

Two patients? Who was the one other than morningfog Oct 2014 #34

In the guidelines, action is triggered when fever and travel involving nations with Ebola kestrel91316 Oct 2014 #36

It's always a chain of errors. But yeah, if that nurse didn't immediately see red flags TwilightGardener Oct 2014 #7

Hospital is downplaying the initial visit symptoms rainbow4321 Oct 2014 #10

I guess the docs just throw bottles of broad-spectrum antibiotics at people who come in TwilightGardener Oct 2014 #17

I know that the victim told someone at the hospital that he had recently ladjf Oct 2014 #8

If it isn't documented, it didn't happen. Avalux Oct 2014 #9

I am sure the nurse did everything correctly. oldandhappy Oct 2014 #11

Let's face it, 5 minutes allowed by ins. companies and hospitals, for a doctor to see and shraby Oct 2014 #12

BTN "blame the nurse" riverwalker Oct 2014 #14

Well, you'd better start asking. Or be prepared for the lawsuits. kestrel91316 Oct 2014 #37

I keep thinking about the lab techs riverwalker Oct 2014 #16

I keep thinking the way this will really get out of hand, so to speak, is blood in vials uppityperson Oct 2014 #20

OMG. yes..... FarPoint Oct 2014 #21

I have been one who criticized her. I am sorry for that. What we need is more information about jwirr Oct 2014 #18

Why didn't Duncan himself mention it to the doctor as well? meadowlark5 Oct 2014 #22

I bet a dollar to a donut the guy thought he had Ebola when he first went to the emergency room. summerschild Oct 2014 #23

Me too, because it's bullshit. Warpy Oct 2014 #24

I see what you're saying. She may not have shared any responsibility for this after all. AverageJoe90 Oct 2014 #25

My family is full of nurses and ecstatic Oct 2014 #27

read my post two down, #29. not being in the field myself, but still, i see it like you. nt seabeyond Oct 2014 #30

Trickle down blame. Shades of Abu Ghraib, Lynndie England. nt valerief Oct 2014 #28

you being a nurse, this is what has me wondering. seabeyond Oct 2014 #29

+1 treestar Oct 2014 #31

you would think. and i have been in that environment enought o know, even busy, a good gossip topic seabeyond Oct 2014 #32

People in healthcare, specifically ER screening nurses, who do NOT pay attention to health news kestrel91316 Oct 2014 #38

Federal guidelines specify that if you have fever and West African travel in the same room, kestrel91316 Oct 2014 #35