A former nurse by the name of RaDonda Vaught will go to court in Tennessee on March 28, 2023 to appeal a decision made in 2021 to revoke her nursing license. In 2017, Ms. Vaught worked in Nashville, Tennessee at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. She was prosecuted and found guilty of gross neglect and negligent homicide when she accidentally administered the wrong medication to an impaired adult patient. When going to get the medication for a patient that would calm her anxiety before a routine scan, she grabbed the wrong medication which caused the patient to lose all ability to move and breathe. Her inability to breathe is what caused her death.  

Though Ms. Vaught has taken responsibility for the prescription error that occurred before the patient’s death, she has cited other issues–such as working conditions, long hours, and instructions to use overrides with the medical cabinets–that contributed to getting the wrong medication. If successful, it is possible that Ms. Vaught will be able to get her nursing license back. However, this situation brings to light just how easy it is for errors to occur with prescription medications and how even under medical supervision at a hospital, a patient can still die from negligence even if they are being monitored. 

Getting Help If You Or a Loved One Experiences Medical Malpractice 

Typically, a medical malpractice case will end once the victim (or the victim’s family) reaches a settlement with the hospital or medical practitioner responsible for causing harm. Only in uncommon cases would the person responsible for the malpractice be criminally prosecuted. If you or a loved one has been injured as a result of medical malpractice, you should seek help from a lawyer as soon as possible. A Memphis, TN medical malpractice lawyer from Darrell Castle & Associates knows that medical malpractice cases can become complicated quickly and time is of the essence when you want to file a claim.  

Do all medication errors mean medical malpractice? Not necessarily. If you are wondering if you have what you need for a medical malpractice claim, you should speak with your lawyer. A lawyer knows that common medication errors that can lead to medical malpractice claims are: 

  • Administering medication to a patient when the patient has a known allergy to that medication
  • Not telling the patient that medication has certain side effects
  • Mislabeling medication
  • Giving a patient the wrong medication
  • Giving a patient the wrong dosage of medication

These are just some of the ways that prescription medication errors can lead to a medical malpractice claim. Your lawyer will want to clearly prove that there is a standard of care, the medical provider breached this standard of care, there were injuries or death as a result of the breach, and that the victim suffered damages. 

Suffering an injury at the hands of a medical professional can leave a person severely injured or fighting for their life. If you or a loved one has been the victim of medical malpractice, it is time to seek justice with the help of your lawyer today.