The fundamental responsibility of nurses is to maintain open and effective communication with patients, especially during critical healthcare encounters. Patients rely on the accuracy and clarity of information to make informed decisions about their health care, and any communication breakdown can have significant consequences for both patients as well as healthcare providers’ reputations. A skilled nurse attorney can play an important role in helping both the nurse and the patient in such situations. They possess the legal expertise to assess the incident impartially, ensuring that the rights and well-being of all parties involved are protected.
Sample case: RN was Involved in Patient Miscommunication Issues
The RN was employed at a hospital in Brownsville, Texas, and had been in that position for one (1) year and eleven (11) months. On or about January 11, 2020, while employed as an RN at the said facility, the RN informed a patient, who was 37 weeks pregnant and presented to the Emergency Department, that her treating physician did not have hospital privileges at the hospital which agitated the patient and nearly left the facility. Later on, on the 13th of February of the same year, the RN called the patient at home regarding the encounter at the emergency department.
According to the RN, the patient had told her that she went to the hospital because her water had never broken before and it scared her. According to the nurse, the patient asked her if that was the right thing to do. The RN stated that she told the patient that everything was fine and it’s not necessarily an emergency when someone’s water breaks. Furthermore, the RN stated she had asked the patient if she had a tubal ligation planned after delivery and the patient responded yes. The RN also added that she had told the patient that her doctor did not have hospital privileges at the hospital, and it might delay her getting a tubal ligation because they might not be able to get the consent forms from the doctor’s office over the weekend. The RN stated at this point that the patient started crying and told her husband to get the truck. Then the patient started walking towards the ER doors, so she went after the patient and asked her to wait and talk with her. Then they were standing in front of the receptionist’s desk. The RN asserted that the receptionist never talked the patient into staying, instead, she talked the patient into staying and pushed her wheelchair to the L&D unit. She was then approached by the L&D manager later that day and was sent home, she was later contacted by the HR Director and informed she was being terminated. The RN also added that the HR Director told her they were going to have a peer review and send this information to the Board which made her call the patient and ask her if she could provide testimony or be a witness for her at the peer review meeting. The RN then received a phone call from the HR Director and an email from the Peer Review Chair stating that she could not question or interview a witness in an uncontrolled manner. Upon receipt of such an email, she went on stating that she did not contact anyone else but later admitted that she did contact the patient. The RN’s conduct was probably due to her fear of losing her nursing license. It is for a circumstance like this when a skilled nurse attorney is consulted for guidance and assistance.
Regrettably, the Texas Board of Nursing has subjected the RN and her license to disciplinary action after further consideration. An experienced and skilled Texas Nurse Attorney would have defended the accusation if the RN hired one. Hiring a skilled Texas Nurse Attorney for defense is applicable for any kind of accusation laid against an RN or LVN.
For more details and to schedule a confidential consultation, you must approach one of the most skilled Texas Nurse Attorneys, Yong J. An. He is a seasoned nurse license defense attorney who represented more than 600 nurse cases for RNs and LVNs over the past 18 years. You can call him at (832) 428-5679 to get started or to inquire for more information regarding nursing license case defenses. For every challenge, a great solution is what awaits so secure your license and contact us now.