Select Page

Administering medication to patients should be done carefully and must be in the specifications of the physician’s order. Improper administration of medication can cause harm to patients. The accusation of such negligence is common in nursing care. You just need a nurse attorney before dealing with accusation cases.

At the time of the incident, an RN was employed as a Registered Nurse at a hospital in Fort Hood, Texas, and had been in that position for one (1) year and two (2) months.

On or about September 29, 2018, while employed as a Registered Nurse, the RN improperly administered terbutaline subcutaneously to a patient, a pregnant patient who presented to the hospital with contractions and a non-reassuring fetal heart rate, without a physician’s order. Later that day, the RN falsely entered the order of terbutaline into the patient’s electronic medical record as a “Phone/Read Back” order; however, the RN had not spoken to the physician to receive the order. The RN’s conduct was likely to injure the patient from the administration of medication without a physician’s order which could have resulted in non efficacious treatment. In addition, the RN’s conduct resulted in an inaccurate medical record and was likely to injure the patient in that subsequent caregivers did not have accurate information on which to base their decisions for further care.

In response to the incidents, the RN states that she felt it was appropriate to give the terbutaline to try and relax the uterus to oxygenate the baby for as long as possible while they waited for the physician. The RN states that she believed there was a standing order to administer terbutaline. The RN states that after administration of the terbutaline the uterus relaxed and the fetal heart rate was obtained. The RN states that she was surprised to learn there was no standing order for terbutaline as she had worked at another facility for eleven years where the protocol listed terbutaline. The RN states that the charge nurse with whom she was working also thought terbutaline was covered under the protocol. The RN apologizes for her confusion as to what the proper protocol was at the hospital, but she took action based on what she believed to be correct and in the best interest of the mother and baby.

The evidence against the RN was strong. At the same time, she was not able to properly defend her case in court. As a result, her nursing license was placed under disciplinary action.

Avoid a similar thing from happening on your end. Make sure to find the right defense attorney in case a complaint will be filed against you before the Texas Board of Nursing (BON). For more details or for a confidential consultation regarding accusations, it’s best to contact an experienced Texas nurse attorney. Texas Nurse Attorney Yong J. An is an experienced nurse attorney who represented more than 200 nurse cases for RNs and LVNs over the past 16 years. You can call him at (832)-428-5679 to get started or to inquire for more information regarding nursing license case defenses.