RaDonda Vaught, a former nurse from Tennessee, was sentenced to three months of monitored probation after being convicted in March for a fatal medication error in 2017. This mistake led to the death of a patient under her care. Although she avoided prison time, her conviction highlights a significant injustice, as such errors are common in healthcare facilities across the U.S.
This situation is quite different from that of William Husel, a former Ohio doctor acquitted of murder charges in April. He had accelerated the deaths of 14 critically ill patients by prescribing fentanyl doses ten times higher than usual. Husel knowingly and intentionally administered these excessive doses to patients ranging in age from their 30s to 80s, suffering from various conditions like cancer and pneumonia.
In both cases, our thoughts are with the families who have endured such trauma. No amount of punishment or compensation can bring back their loved ones or ease their pain. However, these cases reveal a troubling disparity in how doctors and nurses are held accountable.
Vaught made a grave error by administering vecuronium, a muscle relaxant, instead of Versed, a sedative, to a 75-year-old patient, leading to respiratory failure. Vanderbilt University Medical Center, where Vaught worked, had safety measures that failed to prevent this mistake, similar to many other healthcare systems. Despite the error, it’s clear that Vaught did not intend to harm her patient.
In contrast, Husel was aware of the consequences of prescribing such high doses of fentanyl. His actions were deliberate, not accidental, and he knew they would result in patient deaths. Regardless of his motives, it was not his role as a doctor, who swore an oath to “do no harm,” to decide to end lives.
The disparity is stark: a nurse who made a serious mistake faces criminal charges, while a doctor whose actions led to multiple deaths is acquitted. This raises questions about the perception of guilt based on professional roles. Nursing is consistently ranked among the most trusted professions, yet Vaught’s mistake seems to have been judged more harshly than a doctor’s intentional harm.
Prosecuting nurses for errors could deter individuals from entering the profession, exacerbating the critical nursing shortage in the U.S. For those of us in healthcare, mistakes are inevitable. If you claim never to have made one, you haven’t been practicing long enough. Fear of charges will discourage healthcare workers from reporting errors, hindering progress in patient safety and quality care.
Such double standards undermine the advancements in patient safety outlined in the Institute of Medicine’s 1999 report, “To Err is Human: Building a Safer Health System.” Punishing nurses for mistakes while absolving doctors who intentionally cause harm contradicts the goal of creating a safe environment for patients.
