Just before this issue went to press, it was announced that arrests had been made in Louisiana regarding the alleged euthanasia of patients at Memorial Medical Center in New Orleans following the destruction of that city by Hurricane Katrina.
We are proud to publish in this issue the article "Ethical Commitments During Desperate Times," a look at the ethical dilemmas, which occur in the wake of a disaster such as this with suggestions of how nurse administrators can protect their patients and their staffs in such situations.
To the authors' suggestions, I would add the following from a legal and risk management point of view:
In preparation for such a disaster:
1. Make sure you have a workable evacuation plan in place
2. Do not create policies that are too specific or too broad; make sure they allow for use of clinical judgment
In a situation where a disaster has occurred and accusations are being made regarding staff conduct:
1. Assume your staff has made reasonable clinical judgments unless and until you have clear evidence to the contrary.
2. Remain supportive of staff during the investigation.
3. Retain experienced criminal counsel for advice and guidance.
I would also commend to your reading an instructive article by Jean Shepherd, risk manager at East Jefferson General Hospital in Metairie, La, regarding her experiences at the hospital during and after this disaster. The article appears in the ASHRM Journal and the full citation appears in the Bibliography section of our Legal Briefs column. Jean's observations and lessons learned are a must read for any nurse executive. How have you handled tricky incidents at your facility? We have so much to learn from each others' experiences. Please share with us what you have done in challenging times. Letters can be submitted to [email protected].