#healthcare-system-failures

#healthcare-system-failures

Decrepit patient housing units smelled of urine and feces. Patients frequently attacked one another or staff. A chronic worker shortage occasionally left Lawson alone with as many as 19 patients, many in the throes of acute psychiatric crisis. Her superiors didn't respond to requests for assistance, her coworkers sometimes slept on the job, and her employer often failed to provide patients with basic necessities, such as enough food.

Professor Bates emphasized how intertwined the miscommunication about Mr. Goss's medication and his pre-existing conditions contributed to the tragic outcome of this case. His failure to timely identify the heart condition led to misguided actions.