Cassidy Troy
Professor McGovern
Life of the Mind
20 October 2014
Sorel King’s Story
On October 2nd, I had the privilege of listening to guest speaker, Sorel King. King was excellent, as she discussed the effect of medical errors, specifically one personal to her. In the year 2001, Josie, King’s daughter, was brought to the Johns Hopkins University Hospital to treat the burns she received from a bath that was too hot. Josie was treated fairly quickly, and seemed to be healing well. Josie was transferred to the “step down” room, a room for patients with a lesser need for intensive care. This was a positive step toward recovery, right?
Wrong. Sorel King noticed right away that Josie looked thirsty, dehydrated, tired, and discolored, so she informed the nurse of this. Sorel was given ice chips to feed Josie, and the doctor disagreed with the severity of the concern expressed by Sorel. Soon enough, the doctor removed the central lines from Josie’s body, and the nurse gave Josie Gatorade and Methadone, (a strong prescription medication to treat pain), despite the fact that Sorel did not want to give her child the medication. Josie was extremely dehydrated by that time, and Sorel kept repeating the fact that Josie did not look well. Sorel was too trusting of the nurses, and she listened to them with limited questioning. Shortly after hospitalization, Josie was determined brain-dead. Josie died from dehydration, something that could have easily been prevented.
Sorel King specifically wanted health science majors to attend this event. Not only did she want to tell her story, but she also wanted to help educate her audience of the mistakes that are made so easily in the healthcare field. King stressed the importance of interprofessional communication, and communication between the patient and the family members. King wants to create a new generation of healthcare professionals that are better educated of the significance of interaction, and the negative consequences of poorly executed communication.