Reference no: EM133527734

Case Study: Chester Hill Regional Hospital is a large urban hospital located in central Arkansas, dedicated to improving the health of its local community. Due to the recent shut down of another local facility, Chester Hill has seen a dramatic increase in their inflow of patients, specifically within the emergency department. The hospital is currently short-staffed, and many employees feel overworked and burnt out. The Friday and Saturday shifts are predominantly bad, and almost all nurses and physicians dread coming to work. During a very busy Friday evening, a 47-year-old female patient, Mary, came into the emergency department complaining of serious abdominal pain. The patient had been drinking throughout the day due to a family event, and upon entry her blood alcohol level was .301, which left her severely impaired. When evaluated by the admitting nurse, Mary noted her pain as an 8 out of 10. Dr. Edward Dennis, one of the emergency department physicians, briefly reviewed the chart and immediately ordered fluids and pain medication. Dr. Dennis ordered that the patient be monitored every 20 minutes and noted for nurses to keep an eye on the patient's blood pressure for any dramatic jumps. As the emergency department continued to fill with

Questions:

• What are the primary issues and concerns in this case?
• How can Dr. Dennis and the rest of the ED staff ensure they communicate effectively during busy shifts?
• How might better teamwork be beneficial and prevent this type of medical error from happening in the future?
• What liability does Chester Hill Regional Hospital have in this case?
• In order to prevent this type of incident from occurring again, how must Chester Hill address the staffing of its emergency department?
• You are the Chief Medical Officer assigned to investigate Mary's case. How do you effectively address Dr. Dennis?