Medication Administration Error and Failure to Monitor - Healthcare Assignment

Healthcare Assignment:

A 23-year-old woman with no significant medical history presented to the emergency room with flu-like symptoms. She complained of generalized body ache and had a fever of 102.6. For the past two weeks, she self-administered over-the-counter medications with no relief. Instead, her condition deteriorated and she developed both shortness of breath and a cough. Her worsening symptoms motivated her to seek care a local emergency room. Following an abnormal CT Scan of the chest (near-complete collapse of right upper lobe, large consolidation of the right lower lobe, and moderate consolidation of the left lower lobe of the lungs), an elevated white blood count (19,500), abnormal liver function tests and an abnormal coagulation profile, the emergency department physician admitted the patient to the intensive care unit under the care of an attending physician. The patient was started on oxygen and antibiotic therapy. Blood cultures were drawn and showed Streptococcus pneumonia and antibiotics were appropriately adjusted per recommendation of the infectious disease specialist.