Posted on 06/09/2011 1:40:00 PM PDT by momfirst
Hello fellow Freepers. I am looking to you for some direction and advice on where to turn on behalf of my closest friend in the world. A very horrific incident happened this week to her daughter, who was expecting her first child. Unfortunately, she misscarried the baby at 13 weeks gestation. If the devastation of that was not enough, it happened in the hospital while she was on the toilet. The nurse instructed them to leave it there and she would go get a pathology box. Very shortly thereafter, another hospital staff member came into the room, donned gloves, and went into the shared bathroom (shared between two patient rooms), shut the door, and, to everyone's horror, flushed the toilet, baby and all. My friend and her family are just beside themselves in grief over not only the lost child, but the way it was handled compounds it a thousand-fold.
The hospital apologized and said they would start an investigation, but that was it. My friend really wants to know what the hospital is doing to make sure this never ever happens to another family, but will not get any replies from the hospital, just get's the standard run-around. They don't want to sue, they just want action. We think the least the hospital could do is to follow-up and reply to their requests - and I persionally think they should offer counseling services to their daughter. The poor thing can't go to the bathroom without bursting into tears.
Does anyone have any advice or direction to resources that might help advocate for this family? We can't find any organization to help since there was no physical harm done to any person. (after all, society doesn't consider a 13 week fetus a person)
And please, any prayers would be greatly appreciated for this young woman and her family.
Thank you!
Prayers said for all concerned.
Dr. Kopp You gave an excellent reply. Momfirst: The result should be no other woman has to go through what your friend went through.. She could help many other women with her experience and it would be a postive result.
I know nothing except that state boards control nearly everything. That said, isn’t a hospital regulated by a state board? And if the hospital doesn’t give a satisfactory response to the Mom of the little one, can they appeal to the regulatory board?
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Lawsuits don’t actually get the attention of hospitals. Even small hospitals probably have 20 or so active malpractice suits going on at any given time, and large hospitals can literally be fielding hundreds at a time.
Sorry, but the hospital isn’t going to lose it’s JCAHO status over this incident. Even if the hospital has magnet status through JCAHO, it won’t lose it over this.
Nope, special containers are used for anything that might require testing. Some are used bedside, some fit into the toilet, but once something hits the toilet water, it's contaminated and the lab won't touch it.
I'm amazed at the number of FReepers in this thread who think that hospitals are intimidated by lawsuits. Lawsuits, and lots of them are just part of the day to day operation of any hospital. This hospital probably has at the very least a dozen going on right now where someone actually died as the alleged result of someone's actions. I hate to break this to you guys, but an incident like this would be handed down to junior members of the legal team to settle or litigate.
In a word, no. The state board is busy with thousands upon thousands of complaints that far overshadow this one.
Right. No sense in trying that because everything they’ve tried so far has been so danged effective.
You are deranged if you think that flushing someone’s baby is a small thing.
Don’t twist my words. I’m trying to tell you that it’s not going to be a priority for the state board. That’s just a fact whether you like it or not.
I didn’t twist your words. You said they receive complaints that “far overshadow this one.”. Your words. Flushing someones baby is serious. It shows a total lack of protocol and professionalism. It also shows a lack of compassion and respect. Also why did she lose the baby. They callously flushed the answer. NONE of these things are small things.
It’s still not going to be a priority. Again, that’s just a fact and nothing is going to change it.
A for why she lost the baby, I’ll bet that’s not in question. The mere fact that she was obviously admitted as an antepartum patient at 13 weeks is a good indicator that something was not only wrong, but that it was already known. Healthy women with healthy pregnancies don’t have hospital rooms to spontaneously abort in. The cause thereof is probably no further than the diagnosis for admission.
You might want to reread what was posted.
False. She was admitted because her water broke & the miscarriage was imminent. That in no way implies the cause of miscarriage was known. That could only be determined by pathological examination.
The fact that you see this as insignificant means you are part of the problem.
I'm amazed that there is still someone in this country who is ignorant of the fact that lawsuits are one of the largest areas of expense for most hospitals in the US. The costs of liability and defensive medicine now represent 10% of health care spending. Of course lawsuits are treated seriously. To spout off on a public forum that hospital administrations are unconcerned with lawsuits is foolishly presumptuous and absurdly ignorant.
I hate to break this to you guys, but an incident like this would be handed down to junior members of the legal team to settle or litigate.
Had you read the original question (and I doubt that someone so certain in their errors would) you would already know that a negotiated non-monetary settlement is what the victim in this case is trying to obtain. The victim wants to make sure that this horrible procedural error never happens to anyone else. It's a noble cause and worthy of our reasoned consideration and thoughtful assistance.
I'll also add that I think it is sad and quite telling that a poster would strike out so vehemently (and so erroneously) at those offering assistance to the sorrowful. Such an abject lack of empathy reveals a great deal about that poster. I don't know what you have done, but I hope you can find forgiveness.
I know now, and have known far too many people in hospital administration, and the medical field in general to believe otherwise. You may continue in your fairy tale belief that the threat of a lawsuit causes panic in administration, but that just makes you the one who is absurdly ignorant.
I don't know what you have done, but I hope you can find forgiveness.
Spare me the amateur psychology.
State boards were responsible to test for being licenced or registered in your choosen occupation..
Thanks GG.
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