Nursing and Patient Safety
Safe care starts with nursing.
“Medical errors can and do happen, even among skilled, well-meaning, and vigilant nurses and health care professionals.”
“Leaders, regulators and administrators have a responsibility to nurses and patients to put in place and sustain organizational structures that support a just culture, which includes recognizing that mistakes happen and systems fail.”
“Nurses too often find themselves working under conditions that increase the likelihood of adverse outcomes from tragic mistakes.”
Nursing is an essential element of any patient safety improvement effort. Clear communication, documentation, and teamwork all contribute to a safer care environment.
This page provides a starting point for a variety of content related to nursing. Find podcasts, case studies, FAQs, articles and more.
CRICO Covers Nurses & APPs
Learn more
A surgical ICU registered nurse at MGH was sued in a case involving an air embolism resulting in neurological damage to a patient. Her case took 7 years to resolve. This defendant found it extremely difficult hearing the allegations of negligence. She didn’t ask for, or accept help, but in retrospect wishes she had. As time has passed, she now realizes that this event doesn’t define her as a nurse.
“This does not define who you are as a health care provider.”
In the wake of medical errors, just cultures are critical
Icing the Patient Safety Movement
APP Malpractice Cases
Findings showed Nurse Practitioners (NPs) and Physician Assistants (PAs) were rarely involved in the care or event that prompted a claim and were much less likely than physicians (MDs) to be named as defendants in medical professional liability (MPL) cases.
Are APPs at Risk?
A Sea Change in U.S. Care Delivery: An Analysis of Advanced Practice Provider and Physician Malpractice Risk
PAs and NPs represent a growing proportion of clinicians, but not malpractice cases.
CRICO Nursing Coverage
Criminal Prosecution is Rare
CRICO’s response to the risk of criminal prosecution of nurses and other health care workers.
CRICO Keeps You Safe
Nursing-Related Case Studies
Case Study
Fatal Consequences of Inadequate Triage in the ED
The failure to appropriately assess and triage a patient with syncope in the emergency department (ED) led to the patient’s death.
Related To: Claims, Emergency Medicine, Nursing
Case Study
Missed Lung Nodule Results in Fatal Diagnosis
A 40-year-old presented to a clinic after a motor vehicle accident. A chest X-ray showed fractured ribs and clear lungs. Two months later, the patient returned due to ongoing left upper chest pain and was examined by a nurse practitioner (NP) who noted that the patient was experiencing ongoing rib pain and ordered a chest CT.
Related To: Claims, Communication, Diagnosis, Nursing
Case Study
Unwitnessed Fall Highlights Gaps in Documentation
A patient’s unwitnessed fall in the emergency department (ED) was not documented until the patient returned for further evaluation. Late documentation can be perceived as defensive and may make it difficult to defend care later if there is a lawsuit.
Related To: Claims, Communication, Diagnosis, Documentation, EHR, Emergency Medicine, Nursing
Case Study
Medication Mix-up Contributes to Patient’s Death
A nurse gave the wrong medication to a pneumonia patient, causing a fatal heart issue.
Related To: Claims, Medication, Nursing
Podcasts related to Nursing
Young Patient, Flawed Test, Fatal Delay in Colon CA Diagnosis
Podcast
Oct 08
Despite multiple visits to her PCP with similar complaints over years, this young patient did not get a timely diagnosis of colon cancer and died. Dr. Carla Ford looks at the testing, communication among providers, and some diagnostic insights for the next patient.
Wrong Site, Quickly Settled
Podcast
Jul 01
Clear liability case from a reversed X-ray was resolved efficiently with insurer/institution cooperation.
Play Episode
Word to the Wise: Misuse of Language in Clinical Communication Causes Harm
Podcast
Nov 23
Misuse of language can have serious clinical consequences. It can also leave patients and families with a bad impression or misunderstandings.
We invited two physicians who authored a JAMA Perspective on the topic to explain what worries them and what doesn't, when it comes to the misuse of words in medicine.
Play Episode
We invited two physicians who authored a JAMA Perspective on the topic to explain what worries them and what doesn't, when it comes to the misuse of words in medicine.
Nov 23
Woman’s Stroke Progressed in ED without Intervention
Podcast
Nov 16
The patient needed to be evaluated by a stroke team and a neurologist promptly to decide whether any treatment was indicated or possible. Triage should be the same whether the ER was empty or overcapacity.
Play Episode
Nov 16