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for a low-paying position, be sure that you are completing thorough
background checks for all of your staff members — especially anyone
who comes in contact with patients. You should also rotate staff
assignments frequently. It's easy to overlook the basics, but you could
be putting your patients in danger.
Having a robust protocol and system of checks and balances also
deters abuse. That means a system where you are continuously edu-
cating your staff to look for predatory behavior and holding them
accountable for your patients' well-being. The specific protocol can
depend on the facility and state, but it should empower staff to report
any suspicious behavior to management.
M E D I C A L M A L P R A C T I C E
P
atient abuse can take many forms. It includes any action or failure to act that
causes unreasonable suffering, misery or harm to the patient, including phys-
ical and sexual assault, as well as withholding food, physical care or medical
attention. Sadly, it seems like there is a new story about caregiver abuse almost
every day.
• A California woman received one of the largest awards ever — $65 million —
from a hospital where she was allegedly sexually assaulted by a nursing assistant
with a shady background. The nursing assistant went on the run and the hospital,
which, despite receiving numerous reports of suspicious behavior, let the nurse con-
tinue working with patients, was held responsible.
• An RN in San Diego was convicted of abusing an autistic patient after his mother
used a hidden camera to catch the caregiver in the act. Her son, utterly defenseless,
was not able to speak and tell his mother what was wrong. The nurse, whose license
was revoked, is facing 8 years in prison.
• An orthopedic surgeon was sentenced to 13 years in prison for drugging and assaulting 4
female patients (tinyurl.com/paam9mk). — William W. Landess, CRNA, MS, JD
UNWANTED HEADLINES
Examples of Caregiver Abuse
