In Unit I you selected one of the following two scenarios from your textbook. In Units I, III, and IV you were tasked with preparing briefings which would address specific questions pertaining to the scenario you chose:Considering Malpractice
For this assignment, you will now need to combine your research and briefings to provide an introduction with an overview of the case and facts discovered, as well as an analysis of your potential for successful defense of this case.Consider what you have learned in this course as you prepare your final briefing. Your essay should include the legal basis for your analysis and conclude with recommendations of the actions that could be taken to show that the organization has identified and appropriately taken steps toward prevention of future occurrences of this issue.Your paper should be a minimum of three pages, not including the title and reference pages.You must use a minimum of three sources, not including your textbook. You should continue to use sources that specifically speak to the laws or regulations of your state.All sources used must be referenced; paraphrased and quoted material must have accompanying citations. All references and citations used must be in APA style.
Side Bar Considering MalpracticeConsider this example of a medical malpractice action: Two EMTs are called to transport an elderly male from a nursing home to the local hospital. They arrive at the scene and observe that the patient is morbidly obese and has a BiPAP in place. The patient is in respiratory distress. The EMTs place an O2 saturation detector on the man’s finger and see that his O2 saturation is only 84 percent. The patient is moved to a stretcher, and the EMTs attempt to intubate him after administering a paralytic through IV tubing that was placed by the nursing home staff. One of the EMTs misses the first intubation and must ventilate the patient for 2 to 3 minutes with a bag-valve mask. Both EMTs reattempt the intubation two more times, and on the third try, using an endotracheal tube with a lit stylet, they believe that they are in the trachea but fail to confirm placement of the tube following local protocol. The transport time is 15 more minutes. At the time of arrival at the emergency room (ER), the ER physician discovers the tube placement is in the esophagus, so he reintubates the patient, who immediately goes into cardiac arrest and dies.
In such cases, a civil action against the EMS provider is more likely than a criminal action. For the supervisor, it is imperative that documentation of the incident has been completed and that the EMT or paramedic provider supplies a statement of the incident to attach to the medical incident report form (MIRF).