In nursing care, nurse visits and a complete and accurate medical record, in a timely manner, bring positive outcomes on the health improvement of a patient. Failure to timely document with incorrect and inaccurate health information of a patient means poor outcomes. This shows that accurate documentation of health information has a huge impact on a patient’s recovery. However, if an RN improperly executed such a task in nursing care, the Board may put the RN into disciplinary action with suspension or revocation of license. If this happens, it is better to seek help from an expert nurse attorney.
At the time of the initial incident, he was employed as an RN at a hospital in Houston, Texas, and had been in that position for two (2) years and eleven (11) months.
On or about January 8, 2020, while employed as an RN at a hospital in Houston, Texas, RN was accused of the following:
- RN falsely documented, in the medical record of a patient, that a telephone order for tincture of opium was read back to the physician. RN’s conduct created an inaccurate medical record.
- RN failed to accurately enter medications of the above-mentioned patient when the physician gave a telephone order to continue home medications. RN entered the telephone order for a tincture of opium 6 mg every four (4) hours instead of pain relief medication SR 100 mg every eight (8) hours as needed. Subsequently, the patient received the wrong medication for three (3) days resulting in the patient’s decreased mental status and inability to walk and/or talk. RN’s conduct was likely to harm the patient from the adverse effects of opium.
In response, the RN stated he made a “minor error” by selecting Opium Tincture and thought he selected the pain relief medication. RN admitted he did not notify the physician of the patient’s home medication and did not read back the telephone order of the medications being ordered.
The above actions constitute grounds for disciplinary action in accordance with Texas Occupations Code, and is a violation of 22 TEX. ADMIN. CODE. The BON then conducted a thorough investigation and gave the RN ample time to defend himself. Unfortunately, the Texas Board of Nursing found him guilty of his deeds. His RN license was subjected to disciplinary action. He did not hire a skilled Texas BON attorney to fully defend his case which led to this decision by the Texas Board of Nursing.
Make sure that you will not make the same mistake as the RN mentioned above in his case before the Texas Board of Nursing (BON). Contact a Texas nurse attorney today who can provide you with a confidential consultation evaluate your case and counsel you on the best steps to take. Nurse Attorney Yong J. An is an experienced nurse attorney for various licensing cases for 16 years and represented over 300 nurses before the Texas BON. Contact Mr. An by calling or texting him 24/7 directly at (832) 428-5679.