Essay About Negligence Mishap And Health Care

Hcs 478 – Negligence Mishap; Joseph Benson
Negligence Mishap; Joseph Benson 04/11/2016HCS 478Professor Barbara Scheibe        In this paper, I will provide the difference between negligence, gross negligence, and malpractice as well as provide a rationale for my decisions. I will describe the importance of documentation and its correlation to potential negligence. Further, I will briefly describe ethical principle which would guide me in such a situation and how I would document the case to satisfy ethical and legal requirements.         The relationship between health care professional and patient has been affecting the health care delivery in both positive and negative directions. All health care professionals have to be aware of those terms; negligence, gross negligence, and malpractice. They have the responsibility to provide safe, professional, and competent care for their patients. If it doesnt happen, then the health care provider may be found guilty of negligence, gross negligence, or malpractice.         In an article of the Neighborhood newspaper written by A. Lowell, “Amputation mishap: Negligence Cited”, states that 62-years-old Joseph Benson underwent an amputation of his leg just bellow the left knee and suffered a horrible complication – the wrong leg was amputated. Joseph suffered from poor circulation for the  past five years and after he waking up from the surgery he learned of the mishap. I do agree with the statement of amputation mishap, negligence cited. My rationale is that Mr. Benson went in for an amputation of the right knee not the left and will have to live as a double amputee for the rest of his life. It will affect his activities of daily living, his family, emotions, and giving up many lifes experiences. The hospital is negligent for this accident. Moreover, the hospital stuff was negligent too, they failed to give a proper care and perform the duty to verify that the right limb was amputated.         Negligence may occur in any aspect of professional practice, whether assessment, examination, reporting, acting on results of tests, treatment, and surgery like the one presented with Mr. Benson (Kakkar, 2015). The word “negligence” has been defined as “lack of proper care and attention; culpable carelessness” and is derived from Latin neglego or neglect (Kakkar, 2015). Moreover, it has been described as fail to care for/to do; not pay attention to; overlook the need to; disregard. Negligence is in law that a ‘prudent and reasonable’ person would not do, or omitting to do some act that such a person would do. Negligence may arise in respect of a persons duty towards an individual or towards other people in general. Breach of the duty of care that results in reasonably foreseeable damage is a tort (Negligence, 2015). As example, Mrs. R raised allegations against her physician for negligently performing a nerve block and against the hospital and nursing staff for failing to properly monitor her and negligently discharging her from the hospital. She claimed that these errors led to her suffering a stroke.