Ethical and Legal Issues of a Caring-Based Practice

Description

Case Study

A nurse practitioner (NP) cared for a 15-year-old male at an outpatient clinic. The chief complaints of the 15-year-old and his mother at the time of the visit included a lack of appetite, nausea and vomiting, and some abdominal pain. A urine test revealed hematuria, and the NP diagnosed the patient with viral gastroenteritis. One week later, the patient is transported to the emergency room with a ruptured appendix, requiring immediate surgery. The patient fully recovered from the emergency appendectomy. The parents of the patient file a lawsuit against the NP for malpractice and the outpatient clinic for inadequate supervision of the NP, claiming that a correct diagnosis would have prevented prolonged discomfort and emergency surgery, as well as their loss of wages resulting from the presurgical and postsurgical care needed for their son. You are an NP who has been hired as an expert witness and consultant by the insurance company representing the outpatient clinic. The attorney representing the NP has asked you to review the case and identify any concerns or further information that would help in resolving this case.

Case Questions (See Rubric in the Syllabus to complete this assignment)

Because the NP is being accused of malpractice, you are asked to review the case to determine whether malpractice has occurred based on the required conditions. What are the three conditions that must exist to establish malpractice
While reviewing the case file, you note that the insurance company is representing the clinic. If the clinic is determined to be “not guilty” of failing to provide adequate supervision of the NP, how could this affect the NP
What are some tips you could give the NP to avoid or reduce the possibility of legal issues?

BB case discussion (initial post)- must have at least 150 words initial post. Needs to have at least 1 reference, and sent to safe-assign. The similarity index should be less than 10 %.