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I appreciate your feedback! In this scenario, the omission error is the most eminent

because the elevated serum lactic acid level was drawn but not reviewed by a nurse or provider

before discharging the patient (Martin et al., 2020). The patient’s failure to follow up with their

primary care provider (PCP) after being discharged as recommended is another omission.

Hastened Discharge and inadequate staffing is a commission. The ED’s pressure to keep wait

times down led to a hurried patient discharge. Discharging a patient prematurely due to

administrative pressure can be considered a commission because it involves an action that

negatively impacts patient care. The absence of two nurses and a nurse practitioner on the shift

contributed to staffing issues. While this may not be a direct commission, it is a factor that led to

reduced staffing levels and potentially impacted patient care (Riesthuis et al., 2022). Moreover,

the omission of monitoring the critical lab result is generally considered more severe because it

directly relates to the patient’s medical condition and the failure to provide appropriate medical

care. However, both omissions and commissions are significant issues that need to be addressed

to prevent similar incidents in the future and improve patient safety.

References
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Martin, T. R., Gasoyan, H., & Wierz, D. J. (2020). Error by omission: A lack of integration

across implementation and use in structuring health information technology

contracts. Health Informatics Journal, 26(3), 2202-2212.

Riesthuis, P., Otgaar, H., De Cort, A., Bogaard, G., & Mangiulli, I. (2022). Creating a false alibi

leads to errors of commission and omission. Applied Cognitive Psychology, 36(4), 936-

945.