I have recently watched a few videos and read some articles concerning the Josie King case that occurred in 2001. Josie King was 18 months old when she suffered an accident due to drawing a hot bath in which she sustained serious injuries in the forms of second-degree burns. She was taken to the John Hopkins Hospital where she was treated with skin grafts, medication, and fluids. Josie was able to recover rapidly and was moved to the intermediate care unit of the hospital. However, even as her vitals were normal and the burns were healing, Josie had a high fever, vomiting, and diarrhea. The tests conducted by the doctors did not indicate an underlying illness, and they decided to remove her central line, as they assumed it may have an infection. Josie’s condition immediately worsened and she seemed incredibly thirsty. Her mother, Sorrel King, attempted to give her fluids but was warned not to. Sorrel requested for a physician but her request was denied. Josie was later given Narcan and the doctors advised no further narcotics be given. Josie began recovering, however, with the permission from a doctor, a nurse administered more narcotics to avoid withdrawal. Sorrel King was concerned, but her concerns were ignored and shortly, Josie’s condition worsened until she suffered a cardiac arrest as well as extensive brain damage. She died on the same night.
This story has affected me deeply, and I feel both incredibly stressed by the thought that such medical errors continue to occur and also makes me more conscious of the patient’s or the patient’s family’s involvement and concerns during their medical care. The tragedy comes from the fact that not only individual errors occurred during the situation, but large systematic problems such as dehydration were the cause of Josie’s cardiac arrest. The symptoms were there, including diarrhea, extreme thirst, weight loss, but were not considered. Sorrel King has become active in the sphere of patient safety advocacy, which I find incredibly important as the issue was, and continues to be incredibly prevalent. Additionally, the responsibility of patient safety is a priority and cannot be handled by any specific individual or a group that does not have direct contact with the patient, as was the case for the doctor that permitted a second dose of narcotics for Josie King.
Currently, the Josie King Foundation focuses on the prevention of harm to patients due to medical errors through speaking appearances, safety training, community outreach, and other methods. Additionally, the foundation has an awards program for members of hospital staff that acknowledge, report, and prevent medical errors. When I first watched the speech delivered by Sorrel King or read any of the articles reviewing the actions of the staff, I thought many who work in the fields of nursing and medicine could feel defensive or even guilty. However, over time, and the more I read about the Josie King Foundation, the more I began to feel conscious instead of guilty or attacked. It is the primary function of these foundations and similar programs to guide and control situations in which medical errors can occur. I find the thought of being a part of or responsible for any form of medical error, minor or detrimental, to be incredibly stress-inducing and terrifying. As such, I find that knowing there are professionals and research behind such programs as the Josie King Foundation that aim to reduce these errors, is both helpful and enlightening for my interaction with patients.