Terri Schiavo Nurse Cleared

[pnorman]

(Note: Presumably as a waggish prank by a friend, I've been on the Newsmax mailing list for several months now. Morbid fascination has kept me from getting my name removed from it. Here's from the latest, offered with no comment of my own):

Terri Schiavo Nurse Cleared

A registered nurse who discussed Terri Schiavo's treatment at the Largo convalescent center where she treated her in the 1990s will not lose her nursing license, according to a ruling by Florida Board of Nursing.

In a March 2005 interview on CNN, Carla Sauer-Iyer, 42, discussed what she said was inadequate treatment that Schiavo got as a result of her husband's orders.

In May, the Health Department filed an administrative complaint against Sauer-Iyer for disclosing confidential information about Schiavo, as NewsMax.com reported. But the department changed its position after Gov. Jeb Bush sided with Sauer-Iyer

Sauer-Iyer had raised concerns in a CNN interview about the brain-damaged woman's treatment at the Largo convalescent center, where she took care of Schiavo in the 1990s and in two legal depositions. The CNN interview came during the last rounds of legal battles before Schiavo died after her feeding tube was removed.
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http://www.newsmax.com/archives/ic/2006/8/20/114626.shtml?s=al&promo_code=2481-1

pnorman

[Demit]

1. Ah, yes, "rules requiring nurses not to disclose patient information"

...unless Jeb Bush says it's okay.

[don954]

2. so what is her penalty for violating hipaa?

oh ya, privacy is a "liberal" concept, so that wont be enforced...

[Alacrat]

3. Nothing but a witch hunt

Nothing more

[pnorman]

4. "Witch hunt"??

Do you REALLY have any idea of what that term has come to mean in the past century in this country?

The issue here isn't "freedom of speech or expression". It's her right to hold a professional certificate, despite her clear violation of the code of ethics of that profession. Remember: she wasn't a Walmart greeter. She was working in a profession where threats to health or even life is involved. Would YOU enter a hospital or clinic where professional ethics of the doctors or nurses is "optional", or subject to "higher considerations"?

pnorman

[Ian David]

6. So, HIPAA now allows nurses to discuss your case with the media? n/t

[LostinVA]

7. hahaha -- oh, you're serious

Witch hunt my ass. She should lose her license. I have two nurses in my family, one liberal, one a borderline Freep, and they also both agree.

[Alacrat]

11. I'm well aware of hippa

I also think people have a moral obligation to blow the whistle if a patient is receiving substandard care. I go into nursing homes almost daily. I've seen many cases of substandard care, even to the point of abuse. I have always felt I had an ethical obligation to report it, just as I have an obligation to report suspected child abuse. I believe her motivations were political, and with that I disagree, but I would also hate to see health care pros prosecuted for reporting substandard or abusive treatment of patients. I also think the media wasn't the place to air her concerns, but if she expressed concern and received no reaction, she may have felt it was her only choice. I would rather have vigilant health pros, even at the cost of patient privacy, IMO this case extends beyond T.S.

[Ilsa]

13. Regarding this:

"...but if she expressed concern and received no reaction, she may have felt it was her only choice. I would rather have vigilant health pros, even at the cost of patient privacy, IMO this case extends beyond T.S."

We won't really know if she went through proper channels, and she won't be properly dealt with, since JEB stepped in and got her case dropped. There may be multiple places to report hospice or rehab care violations, and we don't know if she tried any of them first.

[Alacrat]

17. I agree with you on that point

As I'm sure you are aware, hippa allows you to discuss patient info with other pertinent health care providers ie.. proper channels, that is something that should be known, but I still think this case could have made for a slippery slope when dealing with abuse. I would hate to think abuse would go unreported out of fear of prosecution. I don't know what experience you have with nursing homes. The frequency of abuse and neglect are almost common place in many of them, a very sad fact. Reporting the abuses should not be threatened, at the same time, blabbing private patient info for a political agenda should not be tolerated either, it's a fine line, and a lot of caution should be exercised. I believe hippa violations should be dealt with in civil court, the authorities should stay out of it.

[Ilsa]

18. You are raising excellent points for everyone to consider.

Yeah, we've had outright physical abuse charges at one home here in town. And of course, it is something that everyone fears when they have to make a decision to place a family member in a home.

And at first, as a nurse, I was concerned for her, but even when the tv appearances happened, they didn't feel right or ring true for me. She seemed much more interested in pursuing her agenda than in insuring proper care for all residents.

But I hope the investigators looked at alot of these points first before hitting her with charges. Yes, we need to be concerned with both the slippery slope and the priority of providing the best care possible. Thoughtful post on your part, but a more thorough explanation would have helped me see your POV better. :toast:

[Richard Steele]

12. Clearly, you mean this mentally unbalanced "nurse's" hunt for Mr. Shiavo.

Because no one with even the smallest clue could
possibly mean anything else.

[stepnw1f]

15. She Was Doing the Fundementalist Witch Hunt

So true...

[China_cat]

5. Funny that she can charge inadequate treatment

but the record shows that Ms. Schiavo never even had a bedsore in all the time she was under care directed by her husband. If you've never been a patient or around a bedridden patient you have no idea of what an accomplishment that is.

[noonwitch]

8. No need to punish her for doing what she thought was right

Time to let it go. Terri is at peace, hopefully people will be using living wills now more frequently so that everything is crystal clear in the future.

[w4rma]

9. I wonder if they paid her in cash or through an account to retrieve

her payment.

[Toots]

10. Where is Limbough on this and Medical Records Privacy

Quite as a church mouse I presume....

[Howardx]

14. she wasnt cleared at all

jeb forced them to drop the case, not the same thing

[stepnw1f]

16. Can It Be Re-opened

Because I think it should be. I'd say if they go ahead with the investigation they might find out how involved the GOP was in that nurse's decision.