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September 01, 2023 - 7:00 PM
A BC nurse has been suspended for three months after failing to document patient conditions before, during and after giving them opioids.
The BC College of Nurses and Midwives said in recently published consent agreement, nurse Rebecca Humberstone of Victoria, BC, failed to follow proper protocol when giving narcotics to patients.
In February and March of 2022, Humberstone failed to provide adequate documentation of patient assessment before administering opioids. Humberstone also failed to document the reaction to the drugs and reassessments after the drugs were taken.
The College said that Humberstone’s misconduct put patients at risk of “inappropriate and dangerous medication administration." Humberstone also risked “other practitioners overdosing a patient because there is no record of prior narcotics administration.”
It is not clear to what extent and how many patients were affected by this misconduct.
Humberstone did not properly supervise other medication administrations and stopped “requisite oversight activities” without telling the regulator that she was no longer working.
The College said Humberstone made a separate breach of contract in the past, although they did not reveal the details of the previous misconduct.
As a result of these practice issues, Humberstone will serve a three-month suspension of her nursing registration, the college said.
She will not be allowed to be the sole registered nurse on duty, to work overtime or provide supervision to students or others for twelve months. She will also have to take a remedial education course covering professional standards, medications and documentation.
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