ECRI, ISMP issue Public Statement on conviction of nurse for medication error

Editor's Note

ECRI and the Institute for Safe Medication Practices (ISMP) PSO, on April 12, released a Public Statement on the recent criminal conviction of a former RN because of a fatal medication error.

In the Statement, they say: “. . . this case sets a precedent that can potentially lead to a shutdown in reporting of adverse events, creating a cloak of silence rather than a culture of safety.”

Marcus Schabacker, MD, PhD, president and CEO of ECRI adds: “We firmly believe that criminalizing providers for unintended harm will hinder rather than improve healthcare in the future.”

Criminalizing clinicians will, in effect, eliminate the open dialogue needed to understand the root causes of errors and apply solutions, the Statement says