Nurse pleads guilty to negligence in FL eye center death
Ambulatory Safety Monitor, January 9, 2003
Want to receive articles like this one in your inbox? Subscribe to Ambulatory Safety Monitor!
A Florida nurse pleaded guilty on January 6 to misdemeanor negligence for not properly monitoring a patient who died after routine eye surgery, according to the Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel.
Tina Mays will serve six months' probation and will forfeit her nursing license. Police in West Palm Beach, where the eye surgery center is located, planned to pursue aggravated manslaughter charges against Mays, but a grand jury agreed to charge her with the lesser offense.
Mays' duty during the eye surgery was to monitor the patient's vital signs, but allegedly said nothing when the patient went into cardiopulmonary arrest three minutes into the procedure, according to court records. No attempts were made to resuscitate the patient until a nurse tried to wake her after the surgery, and couldn't. An emergency alarm that would have alerted the eye center's staff was turned off.
Mays also allegedly altered medical records after the incident, and lied to other staff members about when the patient's heart stopped beating, according to court records. She had worked at the surgery center for three weeks before the patient's death.
Want to receive articles like this one in your inbox? Subscribe to Ambulatory Safety Monitor!
Related Products
-
Hospital Safety Center
Improve compliance with hospital safety standards from The Joint Commission, OSHA, and other regulators with this...
-
Healthcare Life Safety Compliance
Learn Life Safety Code tips and interpretations for healthcare facilities with this in-depth monthly resource.
-
Hospital Safety Connection
Stay on top of hospital safety requirements and best practices with our free, fast-paced weekly update.
-
Administering Your OSHA Program
This course will help an employee new to the role of OSHA safety officer. It gives an overview of OSHA requirements and...
-
Medical OSHA Manual Combo
Get into compliance with Quality America's OSHA Safety Program Manual and stay in compliance with OSHA Watch Newsletter...
Most Popular
- Articles
-
- HIPAA Q&A: Flu shot requirement for hospital employees
- Running an effective peer review committee meeting
- HealthDataInsights posts new issues for medical necessity claims
- Sneak Peek: Effort underway to establish caseload benchmarks
- Q/A: Coding for telescopic intraocular lens
- New FAQ posted on storing laryngoscope blades
- Tip: Perform your own internal investigation prior to government audit
- HIPAA 5010 deadline extended, but threat remains, says AMA
- HHS task force: Consider privacy, security with text messages
- What does case-mix index mean to you?
- E-mailed
-
- Running an effective peer review committee meeting
- HIPAA Q&A: Flu shot requirement for hospital employees
- HHS task force: Consider privacy, security with text messages
- What does case-mix index mean to you?
- Q/A: Coding for telescopic intraocular lens
- Q/A: Correct use of modifier -PT
- Tip: Correctly code bilateral pain management procedures
- "Wall fountains" may be spreading Legionnaires to patients, visitors
- 2012 CPT code changes for ASCs: Shoulder and knee scopes and pain management
- COT basics to best
- Searched