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Case Study 1: Prelude To A Medical Error

1. Background Statement
My case study is over chapters 4 and 7. The title is Prelude to a Medical Error. In this case study, Mrs. Bee is an elderly woman who was hospitalized after a bad fall. After her morning physical therapy, Mrs. Bee felt she could not breathe. Mrs. Bee had experienced terrible spasms in her left calf the previous evening and notified Nurse Karing. Nurse Karing proceeded to order a STAT venous Doppler X-ray to rule out thrombosis. She paged Dr. Cural to notify him that Mrs. Bee was having symptoms of thrombosis. Dr. Cural was upset that he was being bothered after a long day of work and shouted at the nurse, telling her he had evaluated Mrs. Bee that morning and to cancel …show more content…

Additionally, familiarity and possible friendship between the Chief Administrator and hospital staff could present a disadvantage or bias that an Outside Consultant would eliminate.
3. Identification of diversity issues and their impact in this case
Although not clearly stated, there are diversity issues that could have impacted this case. Dr. Cural was quick to dismiss Nurse Karing’s assessment of Mrs. Bee’s leg cramps assuming her female emotional connection was clouding her judgment; in addition, Dr. Cural believed his education and assessment were more important than Nurse Karing’s. Also, Dr. Krisis unknowingly assigned blame to the nursing staff, believing their educational incompetence prevented them from making a crucial call to Dr. Cural.
4. Major problems and secondary issues
The major issue in this case is the deterioration of Mrs. Bee’s health during her hospital stay. Her initial diagnosis and treatment have been complicated by additional symptoms of a possible pulmonary embolus.
The action and inaction of Dr. Cural and Dr. Krisis are one secondary issue. Dr. Cural’s failure to adequately assess and respond to Nurse Karing’s observation led to worsening conditions. His rude, disrespectful and dismissive tone with Nurse Karing demonstrates a mindset of superiority. Dr.

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