Jinju A Hospital, Nurse Administers Injection Without Doctor's Prescription ... Patient in Shock

Patient Complains of Pain After Surgery

Controversy has arisen after a well-known joint specialty hospital, referred to as Hospital A, in Jinju, Gyeongnam, was involved in an incident where a nurse administered an injection drug to a surgical patient without a doctor's prescription, resulting in the patient nearly losing their life due to injection shock.

According to the patient's guardian, Mr. B, the patient underwent left knee inflammation removal surgery at Hospital A on April 11, followed by artificial joint replacement surgery on the left knee on July 12 in the afternoon.

Exterior view of A Hospital in Jinju, Photo by Choi Sunkyung

Before the surgery in April, both the patient and the guardian informed Hospital A that the patient had an allergy to the painkiller Tramadol (which could cause fainting and airway obstruction), and this medical history was also recorded in the nursing notes obtained by our outlet.

Nevertheless, on July 12 at around 6:43 p.m., when the patient, having just awakened from anesthesia, complained of pain, a nurse in charge, under instructions from the head nurse, administered one ampoule of Tramadol intramuscularly without a doctor's prescription, leading the patient into shock.

Immediately after the Tramadol injection, the patient went into shock, and the attending physician, who is also the hospital director, only arrived at the ward about 40 minutes later to check the patient's condition. There are reasonable suspicions that the physician then post-dated a prescription for Tramadol and even falsified the medical records.

However, the progress notes for July 12, the day of the surgery, omitted any record of the side effect-inducing injection and the subsequent injection shock. On July 31, a note was added regarding the side effects and contraindications of Tramadol, indicating that Hospital A failed to fulfill its duty of care as medical professionals.

Even a review of the conversation between the patient's guardian and the hospital director on July 12 shows the director deflecting responsibility regarding the Tramadol prescription, stating, "There is something called a PRN order, so it counts as if I prescribed it," thereby implying that the practical responsibility lies with the nurse.

When the media began investigating, a hospital representative, despite having a pre-arranged interview, avoided contact with the press, citing instructions from the hospital director.

Another hospital official admitted, "It is 100% the hospital's fault and clearly a medical accident," but added, "The reason we cannot reach an amicable agreement with the patient is because the director insists on handling the matter properly through the Korea Medical Dispute Mediation and Arbitration Agency, which has only fueled the patient's anger."

The patient's guardian, Mr. B, said, "The hospital director admits fault but dismisses it as a nurse's mistake. Even if we go through the Korea Medical Dispute Mediation and Arbitration Agency, unless there are aftereffects from the malpractice, compensation is minimal, so only lawyer fees and other costs will be wasted. He even mocks us instead of showing remorse," and added, "We want them to acknowledge their mistake and offer a sincere apology."

Meanwhile, Jinju Public Health Center, which received a request for a medical accident confirmation from the patient's guardian, announced that it will conduct a full investigation into Hospital A and will take legal action, including prosecution, if any violations are found.