Welcome to DU! The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards. Join the community: Create a free account Support DU (and get rid of ads!): Become a Star Member Latest Breaking News General Discussion The DU Lounge All Forums Issue Forums Culture Forums Alliance Forums Region Forums Support Forums Help & Search

Jilly_in_VA

(9,965 posts)
Thu Mar 24, 2022, 12:38 PM Mar 2022

Update: In nurse's trial, witness says hospital bears a 'heavy' responsibility for patient death

A lead investigator in the criminal case against former Tennessee nurse RaDonda Vaught testified Wednesday that state investigators found Vanderbilt University Medical Center had a "heavy burden of responsibility" for a grievous drug error that killed a patient in 2017, but pursued penalties and criminal charges only against the nurse and not the hospital itself.

Vaught, 38, was stripped of her nursing license and is now on trial in Nashville, Tenn., for charges of reckless homicide and abuse of an impaired adult. If convicted, she faces as much as 12 years in prison.

Vanderbilt received no punishment for the fatal drug error.

This testimony – from a Tennessee Bureau of Investigation agent — appears to support defense arguments that Vaught's fatal error was made possible by systemic failures at Vanderbilt. Vaught's attorney, Peter Strianse, has described his client as a "disposable person" who was scapegoated to protect the invaluable reputation of the most prestigious hospital in Tennessee.

"We are engaged in a pretty high-stakes game of musical chairs and blame-shifting. And when the music stopped abruptly, there was no chair for RaDonda Vaught," Strainse said during opening statements. "Vanderbilt University Medical Center? They found a seat."

https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2022/03/24/1088397359/in-nurses-trial-witness-says-hospital-bears-heavy-responsibility-for-patient-dea
______________________________________________________________________________________________
Typical--nurse gets blamed, hospital gets off. Happens every day

1 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
Highlight: NoneDon't highlight anything 5 newestHighlight 5 most recent replies
Update: In nurse's trial, witness says hospital bears a 'heavy' responsibility for patient death (Original Post) Jilly_in_VA Mar 2022 OP
What most don't realize is that hospitals have more lawyers on staff than Doctors. Runningdawg Mar 2022 #1
Latest Discussions»General Discussion»Update: In nurse's trial,...