Negligence and carelessness: A case report of neglect in care

Accuracy, skill and adherence to medical ethics are the minimum expectations of the patient from the treatment staff. And failure to do so will cause financial and economic loss to the patient. Negligence means something that should be done for the patient, but that was not the case at all. The purpose of this ethical report is to outline the issue of carelessness and negligence in treatment and care through the introduction of a case of medical-care failure in a patient admitted to Intensive Care Unit.

A 48-year-old man was a farmer (a combine driver) who suffered from severe hemorrhage of arterial hypoxia, followed by coma for 6 months. To maintain the airway, a tracheostomy tube was used to feed the nasal tube to the gut (NGT). Regarding the condition of the coma and despite the restriction of use of the gastrointestinal tract (max. 4 weeks), the patient was discharged after 50 days with a tracheostomy tube and gastric nasal congestion and consciousness level (4 out of 15). This led to multiple physical problems and persistent complications for the patient (after healing) and multiple treatment costs for the patient's family.

The position of the doctors and the curative staff makes the seemingly small negligence cause great consequences for patients and their families. Indifference and negligence for patients with coma and low levels of consciousness is very unpleasant.