Becker's Clinical Quality & Infection Control

6 INFECTION CONTROL & PATIENT SAFETY New Jersey hospital nurses improperly sedated patients with Benadryl, lawsuit claims By Mackenzie Bean A nurse at Long Branch, N.J.-based Monmouth Medical Center alleges her boss retaliated against her for reporting that nurses were improperly se- dating patients in the hospital's psychiatric unit, reported the Asbury Park Press. Patricia Moran filed a lawsuit against West Orange, N.J.-based RWJBarnabas Health, which owns Monmouth, Oct. 9. e suit said Ms. Moran noticed nurses in her unit were giving patients Benadryl to make them drowsy at night and did not record the medication in patient charts. She reported the issue to her immediate supervisor — the hospital's director of behavioral health services — in March. e suit alleges the supervisor retaliated against Ms. Moran by denying her time on the unit's schedule and giving her a "bogus" citation. Ms. Moran, who's worked at Monmouth for more than 30 years, was also transferred to a pediatric psych unit. e suit claims Ms. Moran was falsely ac- cused of refusing the assignment when she told the unit's supervisor that she did not have the required training or knowledge to work on the pediatric unit. Leaders suspended Ms. Moran for 14 weeks without pay and gave her a final warning, which lawyers say contradicts the hospital's disciplinary policy. Elizabeth Brennan, a spokesperson for Monmouth, declined to comment on Ms. Moran's case but told the Asbury Park Press that the hospital "is fully committed to providing a safe environment for our patients, visitors and staff." n Beaumont Hospital listed dying man as 'John Doe,' despite identification, family says By Gabrielle Masson A group of adult siblings said they were unable to locate their dying father after Beaumont Hospital, Dearborn (Mich.) listed him as a John Doe, even though he had identification with him, according to local CNN affiliate WXYZ. James Earl White, 66, was admitted to the hospital as a John Doe Aug. 20 after a traffic accident, the White siblings told WXYZ. A day later, the family hadn't heard from their father, so they checked with hospital intake and were told he had not been admitted. Another hospital called the siblings days later, informing them that Mr. White was at Beaumont Hospital. When they got there, Mr. White was in critical condition. Mr. White died Aug. 27 at Beaumont Hospital. The siblings said the hospital gave them a bag of their father's belongings, which included multiple forms of identification. They said Mr. White also was wearing a dialysis bracelet with personal contact information. "The process to connect this patient with his family took longer than we de- sire, and we apologize for the stress this created," Beaumont Hospital said in a statement cited by WXYZ. "We are taking steps to prevent something like this from happening again." n Unattended ER patient dies at Pennsylvania hospital By Mackenzie Bean A patient died at WellSpan York (Pa.) Hospital's emergency department after being left unattended for more than an hour, according to a state inspection report cited by York Daily Record. The man arrived by ambulance to the ER on Aug. 16, complaining of nau- sea and dizziness. Staff members screened and triaged the patient upon his arrival. However, staff members marked the patient as "left without being seen" after three unsuccessful attempts of identifying him in the ER between 10:25 a.m. and 12:05 p.m. Staff members found the patient unresponsive in a wheelchair around 12:25 p.m., and he was pronounced dead at 1:31 p.m. State inspectors visited the hospital in late August and deemed the facility out of compliance with Pennsylvania's Medical Care Availability and Reduction of Error Act. "In this instance, we did not meet the high standards to which we hold our- selves every day," Allan Birenberg, MD, vice president of medical affairs at WellSpan York Hospital, said in a statement cited by York Daily Record. "We have reviewed what happened and taken immediate steps to correct any issues which contributed to this event." Dr. Birenberg said the hospital is redesigning its processes to ensure high-quality, timely emergency care for patients. Actions include reassigning nurses to ensure 24/7 coverage in triage areas and requiring nurses to reas- sess patients in the waiting area when length of stay exceeds one hour. n

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