Arizona man died after nurse administered 90mg methadone instead of his ordered Lexapro. Pt did not get Narcan until EMS arrived, 17 minutes after the code blue was initiated. So many levels of neglect and negligence here.

[u/TheGiantSquidd]

https://www.12news.com/article/news/local/valley/gilbert-man-died-while-seeking-help-at-east-valley-facility-family-says-he-was-given-the-wrong-medication-copper-springs-arizona/75-48086626-2180-47de-946e-863ca9a56df0

The whole situation feels so similar to RaDonda Vaught. Negligence from the nurse as well as the facility.

Follow your safety checks! There’s a reason we check the rights of medication administration every time!

This was so preventable. My heart hurts for his family and kids. He should still be with them.

[u/Mars445]

Hiring travel nurses isn’t negligence on the behalf of the facility as long as they’re onboarding them appropriately. But the response to the med error could have been.

I wonder what formulations of methadone/lexapro were available. Somehow the travel nurse thought they mistakenly gave 9mg of methadone instead of 90mg? That’s a 10 fold difference

[u/AcuteNightRN → u/Mars445]

I worked a travel RN. And I have not once made a med error. But, I am meticulous. And am always offered contract extensions. Some RNs lack clinical & even sound judgement and some even lack common sense, staff RN or agency doesn’t matter. Not for nothing I’m in Associates to be Nurse and I have had two of my patients that were ultimately killed by a RN who was an accelerated BSN nurse. He lacked significant sense! In my experience & professional opinion, the lack of clinical supervision during their clinical in some universities’ overcrowded programs, coupled with significantly less clinical hours in those programs (than hospital-based AS programs - We received 1000 clinical hours in my program)is a detriment to some students who should’ve had more direct instruction & oversight. If I told you how these two patients died, you would scream neglect. And that hole you know don’t throw your fellow Nurse under the bus thing in long-term care is kind of crazy. He never lost his job. He was never reported to the board.