Reference no: EM133907976

Is It the Nurse's Responsibility to Force the Surgeon to See the Patient?

Jimmy Smith is a 19-year-old male who suffered a severe compound fracture of his tibia today in football practice. He returned from the surgery to set and cast the leg at 4:00 PM today. The 3-11 PM shift reported he was having quite a bit of swelling from the severe trauma that accompanied the fracture, but that the toes on the affected leg were warm and his pedal pulses were good.

By the time Jason Creed, the oncoming registered nurse (RN), received hand-off report at 11:00 PM and went to check on Jimmy, his pedal pulses were slightly diminished and his foot was slightly cool to touch. By 2:00 AM, Jason felt the swelling had increased slightly and he noted that Jimmy's toes were quite cool, although they were not blue.

Jason phones Jimmy's physician, and she was quite upset to be awakened in the middle of the night. She instructed Jason to put ice on the cast and to elevate Jimmy's leg higher to reduce the swelling. She promised she would see Jimmy first thing in the morning. As the night wears on, Jason becomes increasingly alarmed. By the time the night supervisor arrives at 4:00 AM, Jason is so concerned that he asks the night supervisor to check the casted leg. The supervisor does so and rushes out of the room and says, "The circulation in this boy's leg is severely compromised, why haven't you gotten the doctor here to cut the cast?"

ASSIGNMENT:

Has Jason committed malpractice? Has the doctor? What is Jason's responsibility in reporting a patient's condition to the physician? Examine the elements of malpractice. If there is permanent damage to Jimmy's leg, who will be liable for the failure to act soon enough to prevent injury?

Provide proper citation and references. References must be from credible sources such books, scientific journals, institutional publications (university, nursing organization) and must be no older than 5 years from publication.