RaDonda Vaught, a former nurse with Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, Tennessee, was sentenced to three years of probation after she was convicted for administering the wrong medication to a patient, who subsequently died.
The case has rocked the healthcare industry and could have more implications for mistakes made by healthcare professionals in the future.
Vaught received support from industry associations, including the American Nurses Association (ANA), which submitted a letter on her behalf that was submitted into evidence for her trial. The ANA requested the judge offer leniency in her sentencing after Vaught was convicted for criminally negligent homicide and impaired adult abuse.
“We are grateful to the judge for demonstrating leniency in the sentencing of Nurse Vaught,” the ANA and the Tennessee Nurses Association noted in a statement. “Unfortunately, medical errors can and do happen, even among skilled, well-meaning and vigilant nurses and healthcare professionals.”
Vaught’s medication error led to the death of 75-year-old Charlene Murphey in December 2017. She was fired from Vanderbilt University Medical Center soon after. Murphey’s family was split on whether Vaught should serve jail time.
Vaught’s sentencing also includes judicial diversion, which gives first-time offenders the opportunity to qualify for their charges to be dropped and record expunged after completing their probation period, ABC News reported.
Other healthcare groups have also jumped into the discussion surrounding the case, and some experts have pointed out that Vaught’s conviction could have a lasting impact on the nursing sector.
“We are pleased that the judge showed leniency in the sentencing of a healthcare professional who made a medical error,” Robyn Begley, DNP, RN, chief nursing officer of the American Hospital Association (AHA) and CEO of the American Organization for Nursing Leadership, said in a statement. “Tragic incidents that result from medical errors should not be criminalized. When errors happen hospitals and health systems need open lines of communication to identify and understand the series of events so they can update patient safety systems to further prevent errors. Criminal prosecutions will discourage health caregivers from coming forward with their mistakes and will complicate efforts to retain and recruit more people into nursing and other health care professions that are already understaffed.”
Amy joined TriMed Media as a Senior Writer for HealthExec after covering home care for three years. When not writing about all things healthcare, she fulfills her lifelong dream of becoming a pirate by sailing in regattas and enjoying rum. Fun fact: she sailed 333 miles across Lake Michigan in the Chicago Yacht Club "Race to Mackinac."