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Step 1 - summary of the newspaper article's problem (briefly say who, what
and why)
Step 2
- Briefly identify the management issue (what is the management
problem?)
Step 3
-what management theory, could help solve the management issue?
(briefly
say "how can the management theory solve the issue?")
Reference List:(minimum 4)
Journal article 1 (to support your solution)
Journal article 2(to support your solution)
Newspaper
article (this is the one you have chosen from Moodle)
Textbook (your management textbook)
Management problem: Medication Error
Name
Institution/Affiliation
Date
1.0 Case Study
Following a routine day surgery at Macquarie
University Hospital in June 2015, Paul Lau was given the medication of another
patient. This prompted the formation of an inquest to investigate the factors
that led to the death of a father-of-two after being admitted for knee
reconstruction. According to Mitchell (2018), the counsel representing the Lau
family argued she expected the inquest would be provided with the evidence that
Paul Lau died of an overdose. This is after he was provided with the surgical
medicine that was more complex albeit being for another patient. Despite, there
being more than 15 different opportunities that would have highlighted the
error and subsequently saved the life of Paul Lau, he died at last. The
patient’s anesthetist, Dr. Orison Kim told the inquest that he had made a
mistake. He believed that using the hospital new prescribing system and he
failed to prescribe intravenous fluids to Paul Lau. The situation was
complicated as he was also required to attend a complex surgery for another
patient.
As a result, Dr. Orison Kim told the inquest that he
used the electronic system to update the records of Paul Lau after being
informed by the nurse that he had not prescribed intravenous fluids for the
deceased. During the same time, he was supposed to attend to another patient
who was slated in for a complicated surgery (Mitchell, 2008). For that reason,
his attention was divided between two patients who required his undivided
attention. After returning to the present workstation of the new patient in
need of surgery Dr. Orison Kim did not realize his mistake. Having left the
record of Paul Lau open he subsequently entered the prescriptions of a wrong
patient who was in for a complicated surgery, he argued. During her opening
address to the Glebe coroner's court, Counsel Kirsten Edward claimed that the
medication that was prescribed for Paul Lau was an overdose and for that
reason, his body could not tolerate such greater doses. Therefore, the wrong
prescription led to his death.
2.0 Management problems
The management problem from this case study is that Paul Lau's anesthetist, Dr. Orison Kim, failed to perform his duties diligently and professionally. Amy et al. (2018, p. 75) assert that wrong prescription is among the most common medication errors experienced in a hospital as well as general practice. The medication errors are rarely fatal even though the healthcare quality and safety of the patient ends up being jeopardized. However, in the case of Paul Lau, the error was fatal as it led to his death. The mistake that was committed by the anesthetist could be termed as an...
