In the past month, I heard on the radio of a boy that died because someone had
hooked the oxygen tubing to his IV. The 'mistake' was discovered immediately,
but the boy still died. What ever the reason, or who ever the person was - the
boy died.
I can't imagine the anguish who ever the person is going through when they
realized what they'd done, how they will live the rest of their life having that
in their mind and heart. Not to mention the boy's family.
We are health care providers (what ever the certification, license, letters
behind our name say) with the charge to 'do no harm' and hopefully help the
people we care for.
That's why we double, triple check orders, question orders we don't
understand, read labels carefully, have second nurses check our calculations,
read instructions books, insist on inservices, etc.
It's about going home, knowing the patient got the same sort of care I would
want for myself and my loved ones.
Its about trust too. I worked in a hospital in Kahuku Hawaii. One of my
dad's neighbors told me about her father (was sick and sounded like he had some
sun-dowers) who'd been in the hospital several years before. They'd visit him
several times a day. Once they came in and found the aides had tied sheets
across the bed so he wouldn't wander. They were horrified. They said they
didn't blame the nurse - she didn't know what was happening. (I thought that
the nurse was at fault, because she should have known what was happening.) But
as a result, they would not take any of their family, or go to that hospital.
We are part of a proud profession, and we want to remain proud of it. We
strive to keep standards high, and we give advice (like Fenella did) to
encourage others to hold them selves to a high standard.
Val


Valorie Davis, R.N., B.S.N.
57619 Lava Bed Road
Princeton, Oregon 97721
(541)493-2250


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