Reference no: EM133283836
Question - You will examine a negligence case, stemming from an incident in the hospital operating room:
Mr. Price was admitted to the hospital for surgery to amputate his left leg. Although his left leg was clearly marked and initialed by both himself and the surgeon for amputation, as per hospital policy, there was clearly a breakdown in the process. The right leg had been draped on the surgery table for removal instead of the left leg. It was not until the patient was transferred to the post-anesthesia recovery room that the nurse attending Mr. Price discovered that the right leg had been removed instead of the left leg. Mr. Price was well aware that there was an issue nationwide with surgeons removing wrong body parts and was pleased with the hospital's policy for marking surgical sites. However, he was devastated upon awakening from anesthesia to learn that even though he participated in the marking of the left leg, his right leg had been removed.
You will analyze this case from the standpoint of the legal concept Res Ipsa Loquitur, and work with General Counsel to determine the hospital's liability.
Examine the various applications of the law within the health care system.
Evaluate the implications of the law on the health care system.
Jeff Passmore, General Counsel for Bright Road Health Care Systems Jeff is in his mid-40s, and has been with Bright Road Health Care Systems for 5 years. Prior to working in health care, he was the general counsel for a pharmaceutical company. His experience is vast, and he's friendly and outgoing.
Dr. Gene West, Surgeon Dr. West has been a surgeon in Bright Road Health Care system for 15 years. He's process oriented and his team works very well together, operating as a well-oiled machine. Dr. West is very busy, trusts his team, and rarely double checks their surgery prep.
Bobbi White, Surgical Nurse Bobbi White is new to the surgery team, having transferred from one of the other hospitals in Bright Road Health Care System. The processes for this hospital differ slightly from her last team, so she's getting to know the team and their groove.