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1. Analyze the given scenario

1. Create a post that includes:

A description of the scenario

Your analysis of the professional issues involved

Your proposed solution

Any relevant policies or guidelines that support your solution

2. Review at least 2 other peers scenarios and provide constructive feedback in the comments

3. Respond to any questions or comments on your own post

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https://www.reliasmedia.com/articles/131897-prank-in-surgery-puts-facility-staff-on-wrong-end-of-lawsuit

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The story has been pretty well explained by my classmates but I will give a general rundown. A former surgical tech at a hospital was under anesthesia to have a tonsillectomy. While he was under, 2 of his coworkers decided it would be a good idea to pull a prank on him. The rest of the OR staff in the room did nothing to intervene and stop the "prank". The patient was extremely upset when he woke up to find his nails were painted and the nurses had written on him like he was a random object and not a human being. Not only did this happen, but said nurses continued to harass him after the surgery. The tech was feeling so defeated and beat down that he eventually resigned from his position because of the bullying. The lawsuit that he decided to file is going after the hospital, its parent company and all of the OR staff that was in the room. He had reported all of the incidents to the hospital and they decided to do nothing so he finally had enough and got a lawyer. I don't blame him one bit. I understand that there will likely always be coworkers that have the ability to joke around with each other at work, but there are boundaries that need to be respected. To go as far as doing anything physical or starting rumors is too much. This isn't high school anymore, it isn't "cool" to be a bully. This man felt violated and was completely vulnerable to whatever the nurses wanted to do to him. It isn't okay at all. I believe that the nurses absolutely need to be fired from the hospital. I believe they should be required to take courses about workplace behavior, professionalism, and human relations. Cleary they don't know how to respect people. The rest of the OR staff I believe it would be okay to suspend them without pay and have them take the same courses. I do believe that they should be able to come back to their positions after but should definitely be kept on a short leash and monitored. All ORs have cameras, it wouldn't be difficult. The hospital should definitely be held accountable. This man should get a very large payout for everything he endured and should receive a public apology. Not just an online statement, an apology held at a conference for everyone to see. The hospital needs to own up to it and admit their mistakes. They need to tell everyone where things went wrong and what they are going to do to try to correct it.

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Description of the Scenario

The scenario involves a lawsuit filed by Chauncey Drewery, a former surgical tech at Metroplex Adventist Hospital in Killeen, TX, against the hospital, its parent company Adventist Health System, two surgical nurses, a nurse anesthetist, and a surgical tech. Drewery underwent a tonsillectomy at his workplace. The lawsuit centers on a prank allegedly played on Drewery while he was under general anesthesia, rendering him physically incapable of defending himself. Upon waking, Drewery discovered that two RN co-workers had painted his fingernails and toenails pink. Additionally, they wrote each of their names and "was here" on the soles of his feet. The co-workers also taped up Drewery's thumb to mock his private habit of thumb-sucking, a habit one of the nurses was aware of and allegedly exploited to humiliate him. Drewery claims that this incident, described by the appeals court as "extreme and outrageous" and "horrific," caused him severe emotional distress, including nausea, loss of sleep and appetite, from feeling violated and uncertain of what else might have been done to him. Furthermore, the lawsuit alleges that the two nurses continued to harass Drewery after he returned to work by falsely telling people he was gay and stating they had painted him to look "like a little girl. Drewery's complaints about this ongoing harassment and the initial prank were allegedly ignored by the hospital's administrative personnel, who failed to acknowledge wrongdoing or punish the perpetrators. This alleged inaction fostered a hostile work environment, which ultimately led to Drewery's resignation.  The case was initially dismissed by a county trial court but was reinstated by a state appeals court, which ruled that it was not a healthcare liability claim requiring expert reports. The appeals court found the alleged conduct to be assault and battery.

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To prevent such incidents and address professional failings, a comprehensive solution should include: 1. Zero-Tolerance Policy: Implement and rigorously enforce a strict zero-tolerance policy against all practical jokes, harassment, and unprofessional conduct in patient care areas, especially the OR. 2. Culture of Professionalism: Actively cultivate a culture where staff understand the "bright line" between camaraderie and strictly professional behavior, emphasizing patient vulnerability and dignity. 3. Robust Reporting & Intervention:  Establish clear, confidential channels for reporting unprofessional conduct, ensuring all complaints are thoroughly investigated and acted upon promptly. Staff who witness but fail to intervene should also face discipline. 4. Mandatory Professionalism Training:  Conduct regular training on professional boundaries, patient rights, ethical conduct, and the consequences of violations. 5. Leadership Development & Oversight:  Train supervisory staff on effective leadership, discipline enforcement, and fostering a professional environment, with regular audits to ensure compliance. 

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1. The AST Code of Ethics reminds surgical technologists to maintain the highest standards of patient care and professional behavior. 2. AORN’s guidelines stress the importance of maintaining a sterile field and treating every patient with respect and dignity. 3. The Joint Commission also emphasizes patient rights, including the right to safe, respectful, and ethical care throughout the surgical process.

# data[].attributes.custom_properties.dr2hAW-g
This case reveals significant professional and legal issues: 1. Assault and Intentional Infliction of Emotional Distress (IIED): The appeals court deemed the prank “extreme and outrageous" assault and battery on a defenseless patient. Drewery also sued for IIED due to the incident and subsequent harassment. 2. Breach of Duty of Care/Negligence:  A surgical tech and nurse anesthetist were accused of aiding and abetting by not intervening. Experts state staff failing to act or report such conduct breach their duty of due care to the patient. 3. Hostile Work Environment: The hospital's alleged inaction and failure to intervene after Drewery reported the ongoing harassment could lead to significant liability. 4. Breakdown in Discipline and Leadership: Legal observers point to a “serious breakdown in discipline at several levels" including supervisory staff, and a failure of policies, procedures, and culture of compliance. The OR environment was too casual for serious patient care. 5. Regulatory and Reputational Risks:  Individual staff face potential discipline from the Texas Board of Nursing, and the hospital risks issues with the Texas Department of State Health Services. The situation causes significant public perception damage.

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An employee of a hospital was to be a patient for getting a tonsillectomy where he worked. Upon coming out of general anesthesia, he was bombarded with the fact that his coworkers had subjected him with a practical prank, including painting his nails pink, taping his thumb to simulate his embarrassing habit of sucking on it, wrote their names on his body with ‘was here’ added too. That wasn’t the end of it, because upon returning to work the two nurses were spreading false rumors of him being gay, which wasn’t true. He ended up resigning from his position due to all of the distress that he was experiencing piling up. I think that it is wildly inappropriate to go that far with the jokes that happened. Depending on guidelines and everything, it seems very obvious that these practical pranks were given out by people that didn’t care about the patient. There is a severe difference between joking and straight up bullying and harassment. This was harassment, friends don’t spread rumors about your sexuality or tell embarrassing habits to everyone you don’t want people to know. Another thing is that with how healthcare is, it’s important to understand where and when to draw the line, especially dealing with surgeries. I propose that cameras be used more, to just have someone watch for stuff or even just review what happens in the room for any suspicious. The staff that was involved should be disciplined in the way that deems it, whether that be firing them or suspending their licenses, that is up to them. I believe this deserves more than a slap on the wrist, as this forced someone to quit their job because of all the bullying that happened. Doing courses to help with understanding what is the wrong/right to do in the workplace. Also, I believe there should be a change to the workplace vibe, because this is not the type of environment you would want to work in. Changing the workplace environment is crucial to not have this immature stuff happen again. Management needs to step up and not allow this to ever get this bad and do things to correct it.

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In a Texas hospital a surgical technologist had a tonsillectomy where he worked at. During the procedure Chauncey Drewery the surgical technologist who worked there was "pranked." Two nurses drew on his finger and nails pink, wrote their names on the soles of his feet. The staff also taped his thumb upwards to mock his private habit of sucking it. Having surgrey is nerve racking as is even if he though he did work at the facility. Being willing to be put into a vulnerable position around coworkers shows a level of trust Chauncey had with them. Bullying is never appropriate or professional meant as a prank or not. If the stafff considered him to be a good friend or not it still was not appropriate for them to do what they did. I can not believe that no one else in the room stopped the nurses from doing what they did. I would also be embarrassed if coworkers did this to me and continued to harass me after. It is a shame that the hospital did nothing and if anything down played the situation that happened. While everyone has different opinions and emotions surrounding what bullying, pranks and harrassment means does not dismiss the feelings of an individual. Chauncey was deeply affected by this occurance to the point of feeling the need to leave his posistion. The appeals court ruled that the case is not a healthcare liability claim and therefore does not require the filing of experts' reports. The court noted that the alleged prank was "extreme and outrageous." This is a very large problem for the hospital as well because it leaves a horrible reputation. This reputation is likley to drive away many patients and potential employees, I would never apply to a hospital with a record like that. I believe that Chauncey should be financially coompensated for what he had to go through. I would also hope that the nurses and rest of the OR staff is harshly repromanded and supervised. This situation not only was harrassment but it showed that the nurses were comfortable taking time they could have used to care for a patient and instead cause them emotional harm. Emotional harm past a prank but an event that potentially spread rumors to the entire OR staff. These situations do real harm to people regardless of how "minor." Mental health and respect with equal maturity and professional behavior need to be taken seriously.

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This scenario describes a a lawsuit in which the plaintiff was harassed in the in the OR (where he also worked)while under anesthesia. two nurses painted the victims nails pink, wrote "X person was here on his soles", and proceeded to tape his thumb as a thumb sucking joke, of which the victim was known to do privately. the victim claims that everyone in the room is responsible for the actions taken and is suing the hospital and former co-workers. the victims says that has done nothing to punish the actions of anyone.

# data[].attributes.custom_properties.RpySMaRU
The first and only solution should be that this kind of behavior should have never been fostered. we all have experience in the surgery department now and know that things aren't always as professional as they should be. With that being said I do feel that the two nurses who acted with malicious intent should very well be held responsible for what they did, and possibly lose their licenses. As for the surgical tech and anesthesia, the article isn't really definitive about their actions in this. it claims that they laughed and played along but I don't feel that's a solid enough argument to hold them equally responsible or even suit worthy, should they have done more to intervene, yes. The article claims that even the post-op staff are responsible to an extent. To me it seems that their surgical department definitely has a work culture issue that isn't publicly known, and I get the feeling there is a lot that maybe led up to this incident coming out.

# data[].attributes.custom_properties.dr2hAW-g
some of the professional issues that can be pointed out are the fact that the nurses were blatantly unprofessional in the operating room. pretty much everything I've already listed. 

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In the incident discussed in the article, a nurse and a surgeon participated in a prank during surgery by placing fake mustaches and eyelashes on an unconscious patient in the operating room, come to find out the patient on the table is infact a surgical tech and those doing the "prank" are coworkers. They then took photographs of the patient without consent. The patient later found out about the prank and filed a lawsuit against the medical facility, claiming emotional distress and a violation of their privacy and dignity.

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A solution begins with holding the individuals involved fully accountable. The nurse and surgeon who participated in the prank should face disciplinary action which should include either suspension, termination, or loss of practice licensing. This sends a clear message that unprofessional behavior especially in the operating room will not be tolerated. Additionally, the facility should issue a formal apology to the patient and offer support resources, such as counseling, to acknowledge the emotional harm caused while settle any punitive damages the patient is requesting. 

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This incident violated several key professional standards, including the HIPAA which prohibits taking photos of patients without consent. It also went against the AORN Guidelines for perioperative practice, which emphasize maintaining professionalism, patient dignity, and a distraction-free OR environment.  ANA code of ethics states that nurses must protect patient dignity and privacy, especially when the patient is unconscious and vulnerable. Most hospitals also have internal conduct policies that prohibit unprofessional behavior in the OR, supporting disciplinary actions like suspension or termination. These guidelines collectively justify the need for accountability, retraining, and policy reinforcement.

# data[].attributes.custom_properties.dr2hAW-g
This prank regardless if done by coroworkers crossed multiple ethical and legal boundaries. The patient was under anesthesia and unable to protect themselves, making them completely dependent on the professionalism of the surgical team. Photographing a patient without their permission is a direct violation of HIPAA and the act in itself undermines the trust need to maintain a patient-provider relationship. 

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A lawsuit was filed in April of 2009 by a surgical technologist who had a procedure done by his place of employment. During the procedure, the surg techs coworkers decided to play a prank on him which seems harmless but in this situation it definitely was not. The coworkers painted his nails and toenails, wrote on his feet, and then continued to berate and harass him once he went back to work which in turn led him to resigning from his position at Metroplex Adventist Hospital and filing a lawsuit for assault and intentional infliction of emotional damages.

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My proposed solution for this issue is that the hospital should have protected firstly a patient, but secondly an employee. A person of the OR staff for the surgical technologists procedure should have stepped up and stopped the "pranks" from happening or should have gotten someone else to help with the situation. After the procedure and the surgical technologist found out, then continued to be harassed, the OR manager or HR should have stepped in to help protect the employee. 

# data[].attributes.custom_properties.dr2hAW-g
The professional issues that exist include a lack of patient care and respect, a lack of respect for coworkers and poor hospital employee management.