Williams Medical Center is a 1,000-bed, university-affiliated, non-profit facility located in a large metropolitan area. It is currently reeling from its second large malpractice suit this year. Adverse drug effects were the source of both incidents, and this time the press coverage was brutal. In an effort to restore the hospital’s reputation, the Board of Trustees has publicly committed the Center to develop a comprehensive drug prescription policy.
The Board asked the Pharmacy and Therapeutics Committee (P&TC) to submit policy recommendations for the next Board meeting. Each member has been given a strong opening position from which they must back down if they are to create a drug policy that will convince the press and the public that the Center is still in the forefront of its field.