My niece was given the wrong set of vaccines

[lawschoolmama]

My sis-in-law took my newborn niece to the pediatrician last week, when the LO was five weeks old. Her doctor typically does the Hep B vaccine at the one month appointment, and my SIL had agreed to go with that recommendation. Well, to make a longish story short...The nurse at the office screwed up, and gave the two-month-old baby whose exam room was next to my niece's the Hep B shot, while injecting my niece with a full set of standard two-month vaccines--like, four injections! When my SIL realized what had happened, she got really upset (of course!), and the doctor started apologizing all over the place and basically said the nurse would get a good talking to (WTH?!). He then said that while the two-month-old vax weren't recommended for babies under six weeks, my niece shouldn't have any problems because she's a big baby (95th + percentile for weight) and was already five weeks old, so just one month shy of the recommended age. WTH?! I am LIVID, as is my SIL, of course, but what should she do at this point? I don't trust her ped. at all--so I'm thinking she should take the baby to another doc to get a second opinion, make sure she doesn't need medical attention because of this horrible mistake, etc.
My mom's an RN, and when I told her what this nurse did, she flipped out. She said a medication error like this should have been prevented ten times over before it actually occurred, and basically this office in general and nurse in particular dropped the ball many, many times in order for this to happen. Poor little baby and my poor SIL!
Thoughts?

[Gitti]

Things like that seem to be happening a lot.

There is nothing anyone can do now. A second doctor can't reverse what's done.

To be truthful, vaccines at any age are dangerous and not something that should ever come into a human body.

I hope this is a wake-up for yor s-i-l.

[inchwormz]

I'm sure this happens every day, but I would be LIVID. I'm not even sure what I would do, but I would NOT let it go. I'd be talking to a lawyer, quite frankly.

But I suppose this is exactly why I don't go to the doctor often. We see a ND, but haven't been to our ped since dd was born 10 months ago. For a LO that hasn't had any "well baby" visits, she's a pretty happy and healthy "well" baby.

[emma1325]

She should file a complaint, and then a lawsuit. IMO.

[mkmoro311]

Originally Posted by emma1325

She should file a complaint, and then a lawsuit. IMO.

Ditto!

[Emmeline II]

I don't think she would get anywhere with a lawsuit unless there was evidence of harm.

She could file a complaint with the licensing board though.

[philomom]

Originally Posted by emma1325

She should file a complaint, and then a lawsuit. IMO.

Double ditto!

[amnesiac]

Originally Posted by Emmeline II

I don't think she would get anywhere with a lawsuit unless there was evidence of harm.

She could file a complaint with the licensing board though.

:

[1littlebit]

ugh i would be livid too. isnt there some sort of reckless endangerment law for doctors? even if there doesnt appear to be any harm done that doesnt make what happened any less dangerous yk? why does a child have to be hurt before a dangerous situation is addressed? they have those age limits for a reason.... the nurse should get way more then a strong talking too. ..what if one of the babies had an allergic reaction? also your SIL signed the consent form for the Hep B vax not the other ones... so consent is an issue. isnt it? or is that just a worthless formality?

[gardenmom]

So sorry this happened I hope baby is not harmed . They need to report it to ALL the relevant medical authorities, and make sure she gets full documentation. I wonder if it's possible to report it to the doctor's malpractice insurance company? I bet that would have the most effect to make sure it never happens again.

While I don't think there's any excuse for the doctor/nurse in question, I'm wondering how they got past the parents with a second shot at all? I would have stopped them cold in their tracks when they started opening a new vial/syringe after the first was done.

[medusaatemydog]

i would do everything and anything within my power to make that doctor and nurse suffer the consequence! I am so tired of them "throwing out or denying and discriminating" people and children. Playing Dr Moreau, with unneccessary medical treatments and surgeries, taking parents to court to force them to submit and threatening peoples families and holding patents on vaccines and making policy... for those who don't stand up and make it right...for those who don't learn about health and nutrition and natural medicine for those doctors who's only concern is the bottom line... etc etc... there are so few of them that are even trustworthy. I would nail these people to the wall and this doctor will have my image in the back of his mind haunting him every day every hour just as the damage he has diliberately done to me against my will.... he would never forget it!

[medusaatemydog]

Originally Posted by gardenmom

While I don't think there's any excuse for the doctor/nurse in question, I'm wondering how they got past the parents with a second shot at all? I would have stopped them cold in their tracks when they started opening a new vial/syringe after the first was done.

when i had my son i didn't know anything about vaccines except what the doctor told me... if there were ten shots i would have thought they were all the same... i was never told what they were exactly...just that they were vaccines.... i did not question anything till something went wrong... and what really woke me up is how he dismissed what happened to my son, the answers i got were vague and brief and just didn't make any sense... Then i started reading many books many toxicology reports..research etc... how can these people call themselves proffesionals or good people if they ingore what is happening at the expense of helpless children... i have no love for doctors i find them untrustworthy with major conflict of intrests and completely desensitized... why on earth would the give the "WRONG" ones??? They are too busy getting the previous patient to empty thier wallet at the front desk....

[lawschoolmama]

Originally Posted by gardenmom

So sorry this happened I hope baby is not harmed . They need to report it to ALL the relevant medical authorities, and make sure she gets full documentation. I wonder if it's possible to report it to the doctor's malpractice insurance company? I bet that would have the most effect to make sure it never happens again.

While I don't think there's any excuse for the doctor/nurse in question, I'm wondering how they got past the parents with a second shot at all? I would have stopped them cold in their tracks when they started opening a new vial/syringe after the first was done.

Basically, SIL gets queasy when she sees needles, so the nurse told her to turn away and she didn't see all the injections She feels so bad, but obviously, this was the NURSE'S bad, ykwim?

[lawschoolmama]

Originally Posted by 1littlebit

ugh i would be livid too. isnt there some sort of reckless endangerment law for doctors? even if there doesnt appear to be any harm done that doesnt make what happened any less dangerous yk? why does a child have to be hurt before a dangerous situation is addressed? they have those age limits for a reason.... the nurse should get way more then a strong talking too. ..what if one of the babies had an allergic reaction? also your SIL signed the consent form for the Hep B vax not the other ones... so consent is an issue. isnt it? or is that just a worthless formality?

I'm definitely going to suggest that SIL file a complaint with the licensing board. I do think, though, that there'd have to be evidence of harm before she'd have a good case for a lawsuit--but I'm not a torts lawyer (I'm an estate planner!! ), so I'm going to suggest she talk to a local torts attorney about that, if she's willing to go there. This is just plain unacceptable.

[gardenmom]

Originally Posted by lawschoolmama

Basically, SIL gets queasy when she sees needles, so the nurse told her to turn away and she didn't see all the injections She feels so bad, but obviously, this was the NURSE'S bad, ykwim?

That makes sense. Sorry. I can't look at that kind of thing either--I often turn away--and I imagine they do it fast. And you'd think there's no reason you shouldn't trust your doctor, but the more I hear, the less I believe it, (though nurses are often better than the docs).

Anyhow, I think that if she can stomach fighting, she should do so, and she should make sure the other family knows what happened too, if they don't already. Again, so sorry.

[DocJenn]

Originally Posted by lawschoolmama

I'm definitely going to suggest that SIL file a complaint with the licensing board. I do think, though, that there'd have to be evidence of harm before she'd have a good case for a lawsuit--but I'm not a torts lawyer (I'm an estate planner!! ), so I'm going to suggest she talk to a local torts attorney about that, if she's willing to go there. This is just plain unacceptable.

The medical office should be reported to the State licencing board, but I doubt anything would come of a lawsuit because there is no absolute proof of harm. I'd bet the doc hasn't reported the 'medication error' to the State, since most States don't have mandatory reporting laws. I'd also make sure the doc put a letter in the RN's permanant file reprimanding her for the mistake. The doc should also have safeguards in place so something like this doesn't happen again. (personally, I always say, 'this first shot is the (fill in the blank)' as I am administering the vaccine) and I never draw up more than one patient's shots at a time). And finally, the office should not charge you for the shots, since they gave you the wrong ones.

[medusaatemydog]

Originally Posted by DocJenn

And finally, the office should not charge you for the shots, since they gave you the wrong ones.

If that were me, considering they just violated not only my trust but my childs health..... I wouldn't even be stopping at the desk to give payment and not charging me would be an insult to say the least....

The doctor should be sued and his lisence suspended.. he could have done irreparable harm.... the doctor is not supposed to make mistakes like that especially with someones' child... a doctor gives injections they better damn well know what they are injecting otherwise they are not responsible enough to be practicing... especially on kids. This sounds like wreckless endangerment to me.

there is NO EXCUSE for something like that... what is a file and a slap on the wrist going to do??