Drug error at Abbott underscores safety concerns in nursing strikes
A replacement nurse working during the recent strike at Abbott Northwestern Hospital severely injured an asthmatic patient by administering adrenaline in a way that dangerously contradicted a doctor’s order.
The Sept. 17 medication error caused a rapid and then irregular heartbeat in the woman, who lost consciousness and was placed in intensive care for three days, according to interviews and results of a federal Medicare investigation obtained by the Star Tribune.
One month later, the patient, Joyce Togba, is progressing with physical therapy to regain the strength and feeling she lost, and Medicare has accepted a plan by Abbott to prevent future errors.
But the incident raises fresh questions about whether providers such as Allina Health are able to maintain patient care when thousands of nurses walk off the job.
Read more: http://www.startribune.com/drug-error-at-abbott-underscores-safety-concerns-in-nursing-strikes/397939891/