Connecticut Patient Drug Tampering Can Be Nursing Malpractice

Connecticut nurses serve in a special capacity in the treatment and recovery of patients. They are often an intermediary between patients, their families, and physicians and surgeons, as well as being the ones that dispense medication to patients. Nurses, however, can commit Connecticut medical malpractice when medicine is improperly obtained, tampered with and dispensed.

A Florida nurse is facing 131 felony charges after he stole medication intended for patients, and then replaced the stolen medication with another liquid. This nurse stole painkillers, oxycodone, and morphine (among others) from a locked medicine closet and proceeded to replace what he injected into his own body with saline, which could have further contaminated the drugs that were used in treating patients.

Connecticut’s Department of Public Health, which oversees the licensure and credentials of the state’s nurses, has employed mandatory reporting of healthcare professionals where there may be an inability to perform their professional duties due to the following:

• Abuse or overuse of drugs, alcohol, chemicals, or narcotics;
• Possession, use, and prescription for distribution of controlled drugs

If you or a loved one question the level of care received by a Connecticut nurse that resulted in permanent injury (including death), contact our nurse/attorney, Gayle Sullivan. She will begin an immediate medical and legal investigation into the injury.