• 20
  • December
    2011

Temporary emergency room nurses are twice as likely to make medication errors that may harm patients, according to a recent study by John Hopkins University School of Medicine. The study examined a national Internet-based medication error reporting system data from 2000 and 2005. During this time, roughly 24,000 emergency department medication errors occurred among 592 hospitals.

Temporary nurses were found to be nine times more likely than permanent staff to make a medication error that required life-sustaining intervention. This risk to patient safety is growing as roughly half of all American hospitals report using temps and at least six percent of nurses work as temps throughout the country.

Temporary nurses hired by hospitals are still required to meet all regulatory requirements and have up-to-date licenses and training. However, the study concluded that temporary nurses may be subject to more medication errors due to inexperience at a particular hospital. Temp nurses may be unfamiliar with local care, protocols and procedures. This can lead to miscommunication of important medical information. In addition, they may not be as up-to-date on the latest practices because unlike permanent staff, they are responsible for their own continuing education.

The study noted that temporary nurses should not take all the blame for the medication errors as hospitals that use a lot of temporary staff may have additional quality of care issues. This reality could partially account for increased patient safety risks across the board.

Who may be Held Liable for Medication Errors?

Hospitals may be held liable for any injuries that their negligent employees cause because it is their duty to direct and supervise their employees' work. Additionally, nurses have a duty to behave in a reasonable manner. Because nurses make independent judgments and actions, they also assume responsibility for injuries that they cause negligently.

Temporary nurses responsible for medication errors can be held personally liable for negligence, as can the hospital where the error occurred. If you or a loved one has suffered injuries resulting from a medication error or hospital negligence, contact an experienced attorney to discuss your options.