A Kelowna registered nurse has been reprimanded for a breach of ethical practice after an Indigenous person was left unresponsive in an emergency room.
A decision by the B.C. College of Nurses and Midwives states a panel of inquiry approved a consent agreement between the college and Katherine Lowe regarding practice issues that occurred in Sept. 2021 while she was working as an emergency room nurse.
“Ms. Lowe found an Indigenous person apparently pulseless and unresponsive in the vestibule of the emergency department,” according to the decision.
“Ms. Lowe did not adequately assess or perform any resuscitative measures for them, concluding they were deceased. Further, she did not meet documentation standards related to the said incident.”
The decision did not specify if the individual died.
Lowe has allowed her registration to lapse but has agreed to a public reprimand for a breach of ethical practice, documentation, client-focused provision of care, and duty to provide care standards.
If she should successfully reapply for registration in B.C., Lowe has voluntarily agreed to conditions on her practice including a suspension of her nursing registration for two months, and education in documentation, ethics, and Indigenous cultural safety.
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@GaryBarnes109
gary.barnes@kelownacapnews.com
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