To report or to not report?

Last week, a nurse in Texas was acquitted after a trial for reporting a physician for malpractice of drugs. Here are some details of the case that became referred to as the “Winkler County Nurses” trial:

• Two nurses, Anne Mitchell and Vicki Gale, reported visiting the doctor because they were concerned that his practice was below the usual of care and was affecting patient safety. Another concern was his use of “non-medicinal treatments and prescriptions.”
• The case against Gale was dismissed; nevertheless, the criminal indictment will remain on her file.
• Mitchell faces a third-degree felony charge and as much as 10 years in prison for attempting to protect her patients.
• Both Mitchell and Gale were fired from their jobs.
• Both the American Nurses Association (ANA) and the Texas Nurses Association (TNA) have openly demonstrated their support. TNA created the TNA Legal Defense Fund to “support the rights of these nurses in Winkler County – as well as the rights of every practicing nurse in Texas to advocate for patients.”
• On February 11, 2010, Anne Mitchell was found not guilty.

You can read more about the small print of the case as reported by TNA Here.

My heart goes out to Mitchell and Gale for all the pieces they’ve been through over the past months. While the decision is a hit for nurses and patient safety, what harm has the mere fact of taking such a case to court caused? What are your thoughts? Have you ever been in the same situation where you felt a co-worker was threatening a patient’s safety? How did you cope with it?