My son was given the wrong vaccination! - Page 2

[ledzepplon]

We just had the same thing happen at ds2's appointment last week! I told the nurse that we would not be doing the HepB shot, and she kind of blew me off and told me I could discuss it with the Dr. Our ped is very cool with waiting on that one, and I watched him write up the order for the other vaxes we were doing.

When the nurse returned, she gave him the shot containing the Hep B. I didn't know this until later that day, when the Dr called me and apologized. He said the nurse was very upset and terribly sorry, and he was very apologetic.

I was quite upset because I had been very clear with the nurse and I had witnessed the doctor writing the instructions for the vaxes we did want to do. However, I let it go because they truly were remorseful and we had no adverse reaction. Plus, I really trust our pediatrician so much and do not want to leave his practice. And ultimately, I realized that I need to be more vigilant about exactly what is being done to my child.

I feel for you. I think you need to go with your gut on this one, as far as whether you think it would be best to seek advice from a lawyer or not.

[wifeandmommy2-4]

Originally Posted by rlenk

I must be in the minority here. All this talk of sueing the pants off the doc and reprimanding the nurse really bothers me. This is exactly the reason why healthcare is so expensive in this country. Some extra cash in your pocket or taking away someone's livelihood wouldn't make the outcome of this error any better for you.

Medical personelle are human and humans make mistakes. It sounds as if they acted appropriately by admitting and informing you of the error. I don't know if they apologized or not, it wasn't clear to me in your post, but of course that should have been included as well. I seriously doubt that they quote/unquote "accidentally" gave him the Prevnar as others have suggested. It probably was a true error. If it wasn't that would be another story entirely.

My suggestion would be to let the office know how upset you are. Suggest that they change their procedures to prevent this from happening to anyone else. Change practices if you have lost trust in them and then let it go. Watch your son for any adverse effects from the vaccine and YES, verify with your own eyes anything that is ever given to him again. Lastly give your little guy a kiss and a hug and say a prayer to God thanking Him for keeping your son healthy and sparing him from a mistake that could have been much worse.

Flame Away!!!

I agree with you!

[mamatoElias]

I'm so sorry that happened to your child.

I think it is fine to file a complaint about the situation if you want. It might encourage the office find a way to make it less likely to happen again. But please be respectful if you do opt to complain and realize that even the best nurses and doctors occasionally make mistakes. Having a fit will not make your point clearer and will only make you look bad.

I doubt the nurse would be reprimanded as it was an honest mistake (NOT gross negligence!!!) and EVERYBODY makes mistakes. It sounds as though she immediately took responsibility for the mistake and made sure you were notified, so I'm sure the office is already aware of what happened. However, if you'd like to let them know how you feel about it, I say go for it.

A side note... it frustrates me that people are so eager to sue. No one is perfect. Errors happen. Healthcare is one of those fields in which a mistake can be very costly and can fairly easily result in the loss of a life. For that reason, I think it is important for all mistakes to be addressed and for measures to be put in place to prevent errors. (The hospital I work at has an entire department devoted to quality improvement and a system in place to report all incidents.) But suing or trying to get people "in trouble" will only serve to scare people away from nursing or medicine and further increase the price of healthcare.