Home > Research Legal Advice > Medical Malpractice > A nurse in a hospital removed my fathers CPAP oxygen mask at night to ki...
Asked 8 months ago - North Hollywood, CA
FlagMy father was very ill with pneumonia and was on a CPAP machine forcing oxygen into him. A nurse tip toed into the room and removed his strapped on mask then left. My mother was sleeping in a bed next to him and saw what happened and got up and replaced the mask. What steps should be taken?
Raise the alarm. Report the incident to the charge nurse, the nursing supervisor, risk management, and the attending physician. However, be forewarned: your entire allegation is based on something only your mother witnessed and it occurred at night. Everyone you tell will (1) be blown away by the strangeness of it; (2) react first by be suspicious as to whether your mother's account is reliable ("Did she dream that this happened?")
You will likely never be able to hold the nurse accountable because of the lack of evidence and the lack of an injury to your father. However, to protect your father over the next few days, you need to sound the alarm and also stay with him at bedside.
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