RaDonda Vaught, 37, injected the paralyzing drug vecuronium into 75-year-old Charlene Murphey instead of the sedative Versed on Dec. 26, 2017.
Vaught freely admitted to making several errors with the medication that day, but her defense attorney argued the nurse was not acting outside of the norm and systemic problems at Vanderbilt University Medical Center were at least partly to blame for the error.
Interviewed after the verdict, Vaught said she was relieved to have a resolution after 4 1/2 years and hopes Murphey's family is relieved as well. An expert witness for the state argued that Vaught violated the standard of care expected of nurses. In addition to grabbing the wrong medicine, she failed to read the name of the drug, did not notice a red warning on the top of the medication, and did not stay with the patient to check for an adverse reaction, said nurse legal consultant Donna Jones.
Patient safety expert Bruce Lambert, in an interview before the verdict, said it was extremely concerning that Vaught was being criminally prosecuted for a medical error. "Someone has to pay a price, and it's really easy to say, ‘Just let her do it’," she said. "Nurses see that. Medics see it. Radiology technicians see it."
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Former nurse guilty of homicide in medication error deathA former Tennessee nurse is guilty of criminally negligent homicide in the death of a patient who was accidentally given the wrong medication, a jury found Friday. RaDonda Vaught, 37, injected the paralyzing drug vecuronium into 75-year-old Charlene Murphey instead of the sedative Versed on Dec. 26, 2017. Vaught freely admitted to making several errors with the medication that day, but her defense attorney argued the nurse was not acting outside of the norm and systemic problems at Vanderbilt University Medical Center were at least partly to blame for the error.
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Former nurse found guilty of homicide in medication error death caseIn 2017 RaDonda Vaught injected the paralyzing drug vecuronium into 75-year-old Charlene Murphey instead of using the sedative Versed. The Vaught case has organizations concerned it will make providers reluctant to report errors.
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Ex-nurse found guilty of criminally negligent homicide in medication error deathRaDonda Vaught was accused of giving Charlene Murphey, a 75-year-old patient, a fatal dose of the wrong medication in December 2017.
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Ex-nurse found guilty of criminally negligent homicide in medication error deathRaDonda Vaught was accused of giving Charlene Murphey, a 75-year-old patient, a fatal dose of the wrong medication in December 2017.
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