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Article: ER nurse leaves intact fetus in patient's clothing: case on point: Roddy v. Tanner Medical Center, 585 S.E.2d 175 -GA (2003).(Nursing Law Case on Point)
- Article from:
- Nursing Law's Regan Report
- Article date:
- October 1, 2003
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2003 Medical Law Publishing. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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ISSUE: In this extraordinary Georgia case, the courts were confronted with the issue of whether or not the parents of a 10 & 1/2 week old fetus were entitled to damages for emotional distress after a hospital's emergency room nurse left the fetus in the patient's bloody clothing. When the patient was discharged from the hospital, she took her soiled clothing (which a nurse had placed in a plastic bag) home. When the patient started to launder her bloodied garments, she was shocked when the intact fetus fell to the floor with a thud. This precipitated a suit for emotional distress against the hospital.
CASE FACTS: Sharon Roddy had a miscarriage on February 2, ...