California Schoolchildren Win Key Patient Safety Protection

Main Category: Pediatrics / Children's Health
Article Date: 18 Nov 2008 - 8:00 PST

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Judge Lloyd G. Connelly of the California Superior Court issued an important ruling confirming the patient safety protections contained in California's Nursing Practice Act, the California Nurses Association (CNA) reports. As a result, diabetic children in California schools will not be subject to the dangers of receiving insulin injections from unlicensed personnel.

In the case, a number of nursing organizations sued Jack O'Connell, Superintendent of Public Instruction, over the terms of a settlement he had agreed to in another case (K.C. vs. O'Connell). In that settlement, O'Connell performed an "end-run" around nursing practice laws and the Legislature and agreed to allow unlicensed school personnel to administer injections of insulin to diabetic children in California public school settings.

CNA and other nursing organizations charge that the settlement plainly violates the laws protecting the scope of practice of RNs, and also endangers schoolchildren by giving them powerful drugs without proper safeguards. The nurses note that insulin is considered a "high alert" medication and than an overdose could lead to multiple complications, including death.

"RNs believe that we need to guarantee appropriate healthcare to every patient, especially children in schools. But putting them in harm's way is not how we should do that. Any time a student is exposed to the risks of an insulin injection, we need to guarantee that they can access the proper medical resources and personnel. The only proper safeguard under these circumstances is access to a school nurse who is qualified to do an assessment and make the appropriate decisions for each student. It the responsibility of the school district to secure such access," said Hedy Dumpel, RN, JD, and CNA's Director of Nursing Practice.

The lawsuit was filed by the California Nurses Association, the California School Nurses Organization, the American Nurses Association, and the American Nurses Association/California.

Representing 80,000 RNs in 50 states, the California Nurses Association/National Nurses Organizing Committee is the largest and fastest-growing association of direct-care RNs in the nation.

California Nurses Association