Robert Michael: Teaching hospital changes policies regarding chemotherapy drugs

Inner Circle member Robert Michael, Rockville, Maryland, represented the family of a man who died as a result of a hospital resident's administration of the wrong chemotherapy agents during his treatment for cancer.  An impatient resident picked up the chemotherapy bag intended for intravenous administration and administered it into the spinal canal causing a fatal stroke.  At the conclusion of his case, Mr. Michael convinced the hospital to implement two new policies:  the nursing cabinet is to be locked with only the nursing supervisor having access to the key, and the pharmacy will not deliver chemotherapy medication to the hospital floor more than two hours before their intended use.  These policy changes will help to insure the safety of their future patients.