Patient Safety Endangered By Prosecution of Whistleblowing Nurse

Patient safety took a blow recently when a nurse in Texas, Anne Mitchell, reported a doctor to the Texas Medical Board for endangering patients. Although her reports were well-founded, she was, nonetheless, criminally prosecuted for alleged "misuse of official information."  A jury acquitted her of this charge. Still her prosecution could deter other whistleblowers from making similar reports and protecting patients as this editiorial in the El Paso Times explains: "Nurse Acquitted: But Trial Could Impact Patients, Profession."