NurseWeek

Nurse errors blamed for thousands of death

By Tim Bergling
Health24News
September 12, 2000


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Washington (H24N). Thousands of patients have been killed or severely injured by mistakes committed by nurses over the last five years, according to an investigative series published this week by the Chicago Tribune.

The paper blames the mishaps on "overwhelmed and inadequately trained" personnel, and hospitals that "sacrifice safety for an improved bottom line."

According to the Tribune, at least 1,720 patients nationwide died accidentally, and another 9,584 were injured by the actions or inaction of registered nurses, as a result of staff cuts and "belt tightening" measures put in place by U.S. hospitals. Among the mistakes cited by the series: overdoses of medication, delayed medical care, sometimes for hours, and procedures performed without adequate training.

The paper analyzed 3 million state and federal computer records to create a database that appears to quantify the "hidden role registered nurses play in medical errors." The report also singles out lax disciplinary oversight that allows nurses with questionable personal histories to stay on the job. The report suggests even the most qualified professionals find themselves making mistakes, because of overwork brought on by reduced staffing.

In one chilling passage, the paper quotes registered nurse Kathy Cloninger, who works at the University of Illinois Medical Center, where nurses face mandatory overtime and 16-hour shifts. "I wake up everyday and hope I don’t kill someone," Cloninger said. Marge Sampson, who worked at the same hospital before stress caused her to leave for a medical office job, says the hectic pace and patient load prevent staffers from doing their jobs correctly. "In my day, they taught you never to give a drug until you looked it up and verified proper doses. But you can’t do that. There’s no time … it’s so nightmarish I can’t even explain."

Representatives from the American Nurses Association are in Washington today for testimony at the National Summit on Medical Errors and Patient Safety Research. In a prepared statement that doesn’t explicitly address the Tribune’s series, Patricia Underwood, RN, acknowledges the same problems pointed out in the newspaper’s report.

"As hospitals have reorganized and put fewer nurses at the bedside, as more and more hospitals have come to rely on use of overtime as a ‘solution’ to inadequate staffing, the most common complaint we hear from our members is their belief and concern that these changes are fundamental factors putting patients at risk," Underwood said. "Any consideration of medical errors that does not look at a full range of staffing issues is missing a crucial element that lies at the center of safe patient care."