‘She was on her death bed’: N.S. woman says mother-in-law didn’t receive daily medication while in hospital

Sarah Gray looked on as her two children said goodbye to their grandmother.

It was the end of November. About a week prior, Gray’s mother-in-law, Carol, woke up in the middle of the night and fell when getting out of bed at her home.

She was taken by ambulance to the Queen Elizabeth II emergency department in Halifax, where her husband told hospital staff that Carol has liver disease and requires daily medication for her condition. 

As Carol remained unresponsive in hospital, her husband Clayton stayed by her side for hours on end.

“It took them two days to start her medication for her liver,” Gray recalled in an interview.

“She was in such a bad state by the time she started her medication.” 

Then, less than 24 hours later, Gray said the hospital again stopped giving Carol her required liver medication.

Carol was moved to the ICU because her condition had deteriorated so much. 

It was then that Clayton and Gray’s family were told to come in and say their goodbyes. 

“We literally brought in Christmas presents because we thought this was the last time we were ever going to see her,” Gray said. 

After Carol’s family said their goodbyes, Gray and her husband, James, spoke with the doctor working on Carol’s case.

“We literally brought in Christmas presents because we thought this was the last time we were ever going to see her.”

– Sarah Gray

“We wanted to know what happened. Yes, she fell but there were other risk factors when she walked in and she wasn’t given her life-saving drugs,” Gray said. 

But the answer the doctor gave Gray and her husband stunned them.

“His response was, ‘There’s not enough support, not enough staff,’” Gray recalled. “We were all wearing masks and my jaw literally hit the bottom of my mask. I couldn’t believe he would actually say that out loud to us.” 

However, as Carol remained in the ICU and was given her daily medication, her condition began to improve. Next thing they knew, she had opened her eyes and was able to communicate again. 

Carol’s health continued to improve and a couple of days later, she was moved to a shared room at the Halifax Infirmary. 

“It was like a miracle, to be told that she was on her death bed, was basically in a coma and we’re never going to talk to her again to watching her try to use a walker,” Gray said. 

But on the second day, when Clayton returned home after spending the day with his wife, Carol missed another dose of her liver medication.

Gray said from there, things spiralled. 

“When Clayton went to see her the next morning at like 7 a.m., he could tell that she was really out of it,” Gray said. 

Gray said Clayton immediately found a nurse to ask if Carol had been given her medication, but they told him there was nothing on her chart that indicated she needed it daily. It was later learned that the directions for Carol’s medication erroneously were “give as needed” as opposed to “give every six to eight hours.” 

“And then it was literally a repeat of what happened in the ER,” Gray said. 

“She was basically in a coma, all the levels of her blood were really, really bad, her organs were starting to shut down, she wasn’t going to the bathroom and again, everybody was brought in to say goodbye.” 

However, again, Carol rallied and gained enough strength to be sent home this past Monday. 

Gray said the family is so grateful that Carol is now home, but said she is very weak and cannot be left unsupervised. 

“But the fact that she’s home is not what we were expecting at all. It’s a miracle,” Gray said. 

Gray said the family is concerned, however, about the damage done to Carol’s liver. Carol has also lost 30 pounds since her stay in hospital.

Gray said Carol is to be assessed and undergo follow-up tests with her liver specialist, but the family wants accountability for the mistakes that may have shortened Carol’s lifespan.

“In pharmacies, you are only allowed to have a certain percentage of errors in your prescriptions, right? And other organizations have similar measures in place, so why can’t that be applied in the hospital?” Gray asked. 

Gray acknowledged the province’s health-care workers are burnt out, adding she doesn’t put them at fault for what happened with her mother-in-law. But she said health-care workers have been asking for help for years from the provincial government and “nothing has changed.” 

“You can’t keep blaming it on the people that are working because you’re not supporting them or giving them the resources,” she said. 

“You’re basically throwing them onto a sinking ship and saying, ‘Good luck.’” 

The Nova Scotia Health Department, under the Houston government, has taken multiple steps to up the province’s number of health-care workers, such as introducing bonus incentives and making it easier for internationally educated nurses to enter the workforce. 

Brendan Elliott, spokesperson for Nova Scotia Health, said the Nova Scotia Personal Health Information Act prevents the health authority from “commenting on details relating to an individual’s specific health information.” 

However, Elliott did acknowledge Nova Scotia Health faces staffing challenges.

“We are keenly aware of the challenges our staff face against the backdrop of working in a high-pressure environment.”

– Nova Scotia Health spokesperson

“We are keenly aware of the challenges our staff face against the backdrop of working in a high-pressure environment. Staffing shortages and the demanding nature of emergency care add to these challenges,” Elliott said in an emailed response to questions. 

“We actively address the mental and physical health of our staff through ongoing support programs, education, peer support, regular check-ins with staff and efforts to improve overall working conditions.” 

Elliott said recruitment and retention of health-care workers isn’t unique to Nova Scotia – it’s an ongoing issue across the nation and in other countries. 

He said Nova Scotia Health works every day to recruit workers to the province and has travel nurses on short-term contracts to mitigate staffing issues.

“This strategic use of travel nurses is essential in maintaining optimal staffing ratios, and in turn ensuring the provision of safe and effective care within our emergency department,” he said.

“While travel nurses are a good short-term stop-gap solution, our goal is to recruit permanent, stable talent to add to our great teams.” 

Elliott said Nova Scotia Health is always open to hearing people’s experiences – good or bad. People can share their feedback with their health-care provider or unit/department manager or by contacting Nova Scotia Health’s patient relations team via the authority’s website.