Dean Clinic Nurse Wasn’t Monitored By State
September 5, 2011Dean Clinic Nurse Wasn’t Monitored By State
A former Dean Clinic nurse who put thousands of people at risk for blood-borne diseases did not face regular inspections from the state or clinic for five years, according to administrators.
Dean Clinic administrators said Monday that a former nurse improperly used diabetic testing devices from 2006 until earlier this month. They said her actions put as many as 2,345 patients at risk for hepatitis B, hepatitis C and HIV.
Patient advocates said health care safety rests with individual patients because of the lack of oversight.
“Just because somebody is a medical professional does not mean that you can’t question them,” said Jesi Hirsch, of RN Patient Advocates of Madison. “You have to ask questions. Don’t be intimidated by somebody.”
The state does not inspect individual nurses after they get licensed, leaving it up to the nurses to follow the law, said John Murray, a spokesman for the state Department of Safety and Professional Services.
The federal government regulates all health care facilities receiving Medicare funding for things such as workplace and patient safety, but it does not monitor individual nurses, WISC-TV reported.
Dean Clinic management also did not check up on the former nurse’s practices, administrators said Monday.
“This was an experienced, licensed, registered nurse who was certified in diabetic education,” Dean Clinic Chief Executive Craig Samitt said. “Most health care providers who are licensed this way see patients in a one-on-one basis in the exam room.”
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