Standard of Care and Negligence
The resident is on a busy ward round with his consultant. The round is post-take and he has seen 23 patients so far. One of his patients is septic and needs a prescription for intravenous antibiotics. The consultant tells this resident to put him on ciprofloxacin. However, the resident MD is aware that the hospital protocol has changed and that ciprofloxacin is no longer the first-line antibiotic due to the increasing incidence of Clostridium difficile infection after its use. He suggests giving IV co-amoxiclav instead. The consultant agrees and appears impressed that the resident is up-to-date with the antibiotic guidelines. The resident prescribes the antibiotic. A few hours later he is called to the ward urgently as the septic patient is having difficulty breathing and has developed urticaria. He has had an anaphylactic reaction to co-amoxiclav. The resident realizes that the allergies box on the drug chart states that the patient is allergic to penicillin. He puts out a medical emergency call and after further assessment the patient is transferred to ICU. After 24 hours on ICU the patient returns to the ward. No permanent damage has occurred.
- What is clinical negligence?
- Has the resident been negligent?
- What can he do to protect himself against a claim in negligence?
Apply Theory (Specific Professional Healthcare Competencies + Clinical Medical Ethical Principles) to Practice in order to provide Optimal Patient-Centered Care (OPCC)
Clinical Ethics and Law, Second edition. Carolyn Johnston, Penelope Bradbury, Series editor: Janice Ryme
