In the center of the dilemma encounter stands the matter of medical negligence that resulted in human death and the prosecution justificaation. In considering this question, it should be noted that medical error is not limited to a single field of ethics of what has occurred. It includes at least three important points, each must be considered and evaluated. First, the personal worldview designed on preferred outcome cannot explain the nurse’s inattention and ignorance that led to the patient death (Pesut et al., 2020). According to the defendant’s testimony, nurse did not try to alleviate the patient’s suffering or help her but simply failed to pay attention to several warnings (Loller, 2022). Among these warnings were visual labels and a specific place to store the medication and data in the patient’s electronic information about the patient’s needs.
The second point to mention is the problems with the electronic medication registration and dispensing system in the medical facility system. According to witnesses and co-workers of the defendant, malfunctions in electronic record keeping and data storage have been observed in their operations for some time (Loller, 2022). Thus, there is a need for a more detailed clarification of the circumstances of the case and an assessment of the actions of the clinic management. All measures aimed at normalizing the technical support of the hospital must be subjected to an independent evaluation. This point applies to the direct management of nurses who have not verified compliance with all established procedures.
The third factor in this issue is the case of the training of the nursing facility staff. If the defendant has received satisfactory evaluations of her performance in the recent past, all staff associated with the nursing skills audit should also be held accountable. In my opinion, ethical dilemma in this case includes the severity of the potential punishment. The nurse did not simply allow the death but contributed to it with her own negligence and ignorance. A detailed investigation must be conducted to determine all those indirectly responsible for the situation. The department’s leadership must answer the law from the manager to the trainer. All employees should be reevaluated, the electronic system fine-tuned, and drug labeling revised to increase visibility to minimize the likelihood of recurrence.
Reference
Loller, T. (2022). Former nurse guilty of homicide in medication error death. Yahoo News. Web.
Pesut, B., Thorne, S., & Greig, M. (2020). Shades of gray: Conscientious objection in medical assistance in dying. Nursing Inquiry, 27(1), e12308. Web.