Nurse RaDonda Vaught has been convicted of criminally negligent homicide in the death of her patient Charlene Murphey. It was a landmark case that ignited debate around medical errors and the role nurses should play in healthcare.
A key issue in the trial was that Vaught overrode a safeguard on a medication cabinet and then ignored warnings about the drug she removed from it. It was this error that led to Murphey’s death.
1. Misdiagnosis
Former nurse RaDonda Vaught mistakenly administered the wrong medication to patient Charlene Murphey while she waited for an MRI at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in 2017. She pulled the wrong drug from the hospital’s automated dispensing cabinet.
Vaught was convicted of criminally negligent homicide in March. She also lost her nursing license.
2. Misdiagnosis and Neglect
As one of the leading causes of death in America, medical errors are a major concern for healthcare professionals. They kill an estimated 250,000 people a year.
Vaught was convicted of gross neglect of an impaired adult and negligent homicide for the death of Charlene Murphey, a 75-year-old patient who died at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in 2017.
3. Misdiagnosis and Neglect
When she injected Charlene Murphey with the wrong drug, it was fatal. During her criminal trial, Vaught was found guilty of negligent homicide and gross neglect of an impaired adult.
The case ignited debate in national conversations about nursing shortages and patient safety. Many experts fear that it could chill the profession.
4. Misdiagnosis and Neglect
When a patient is misdiagnosed, that can lead to unnecessary or harmful treatment. It can also leave patients feeling uneasy and scared.
Medical errors are the third leading cause of death in the United States, after heart disease and cancer. A Johns Hopkins study found that over a quarter million people die of medical errors each year.
In 2017, RaDonda Vaught, a nurse at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, mistakenly administered a powerful paralytic medication to a patient named Charlene Murphey. Her criminal conviction made national headlines and sparked an ethical debate.
5. Misdiagnosis and Neglect
When a doctor makes a wrong diagnosis, it can cause a patient significant harm. They may undergo unnecessary medical treatment or die.
When a physician fails to diagnose a condition correctly, they can be held accountable for their errors in court. This can include failing to follow up on a diagnosis, not referring patients to specialists when needed, and not performing a thorough differential diagnosis.
6. Misdiagnosis and Neglect
RaDonda Vaught, a nurse at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, Tennessee, injected 75-year-old Charlene Murphey with the wrong medication. Instead of Versed, a drug used for anxiety, she pulled vecuronium, a powerful paralytic that made Murphey unconscious and unable to breathe.
Her criminal prosecution triggered national conversations about nursing shortages and patient safety. It frightened nurses and health care professionals.
7. Misdiagnosis and Neglect
When a nurse misdiagnoses or neglects a patient, it can be devastating. It can be life-threatening for patients, resulting in death.
But criminal prosecutions of medical errors are exceedingly rare. And many nurses and medical professionals fear that the case of Vaught could set a dangerous precedent.
In a trial that was closely watched by nurses and medical professionals across the country, a jury found Vaught guilty of negligent homicide and abuse of an impaired adult for her role in the death of Charlene Murphey in 2017. The verdict left nursing communities shocked, dismayed, and concerned about what this means for the future of health care.
8. Misdiagnosis and Neglect
Misdiagnosis and neglect are two of the most common types of medical errors. They can result in unnecessary and harmful treatment.
Vaught accidentally dispensed the wrong medication, which led to the death of her patient Charlene Murphey. Her case has sparked fears that nurses could be criminalized for a mistake they did not intend to make.
9. Misdiagnosis and Neglect
When a patient is misdiagnosed and/or receives the wrong treatment, they often become worse off than when they were initially admitted to the hospital. This is especially true for patients with cancer and/or heart disease.
The consequences can be serious for a patient and their family. This is why patient safety and nursing groups have worked so hard to move health care away from blame and punishment toward the honest reporting of errors.
10. Misdiagnosis and Neglect
Nurses are often the first to notice and report medical errors. They also are the most likely to take responsibility for errors and ensure their patients are taken care of.
The conviction of Vaught has set alarm bells ringing among patient safety advocates and nursing groups. It is feared that criminalizing nurses for unintentional errors may chill their willingness to report mistakes.