9 Potential Consequences Nurses Can Face For Abandoning Patients

Written By: Darby FaubionDarby Faubion RN, BSN, MBA

Darby Faubion is a nurse and allied health instructor with over 20 years of clinical experience. Darby lives in Louisiana and loves exploring the state’s rich culture and history. Darby has a passion for caring for veterans and a special interest in those affected by post-traumatic stress disorder. In her quest to make a difference for veterans, she founded a non-profit called “Operation Battle Buddy.” Read Full Bio »» RN, BSN, MBA

If you are a nurse, you know that patient abandonment is a critical issue with far-reaching consequences. It is every nurse’s responsibility to do their part to prevent patient abandonment and the situations that occur because of it. If you are unfamiliar with the complexities of this issue, you may wonder, “What consequences can nurses face for patient abandonment?”

In this article, we will discuss 9 potential consequences nurses can face for abandoning patients. By understanding what constitutes abandonment and taking proactive steps to prevent it from occurring, we can ensure the continuous delivery of compassionate, high-quality patient care that all patients deserve.

What Consequences Can Nurses Face For Patient Abandonment?

(The following are the 9 potential consequences nurses can face for abandoning patients.)

CONSEQUENCE #1: Disciplinary Action

No matter what the circumstance, patient abandonment is a serious offense. Nurses who abandon patients can expect, at the very least, some type of disciplinary action to be taken by their employer. Disciplinary action may include being required to participate in mandatory training, receiving a verbal or written reprimand, or being suspended from your job.

As a nurse with more than 25 years of experience, I can tell you there are alternatives to patient abandonment. If you are faced with a situation that is challenging or a patient that you feel you cannot care for, do not abandon your responsibilities. Instead, talk to your nurse leader or manager and explain your feelings. Most nurse managers will work with you to make assignment changes and ensure a continuum of care, which protects you from disciplinary action and protects your patient from being abandoned.

CONSEQUENCE #2: Termination from Employment

Depending on the situation and whether patient or organizational harm occurs, one of the consequences nurses can face for patient abandonment is the loss of their job. One of the hospitals I worked at years ago had a zero-tolerance policy for any case of patient abandonment. If you were assigned care for a patient and failed to meet the responsibilities of your assignment due to abandonment, the consequence was termination from employment.

Good communication between nurses and leaders is essential in identifying situations that may lead to patient abandonment and developing interventions to prevent it from occurring. As long as I have been a nurse and with all the situations I have seen in patient care, I can tell you with certainty that if you are willing to communicate with your team and leaders, you can help reduce the risk of patient abandonment and the consequences that follow.

CONSEQUENCE #3: Damaged Professional Reputation

Everything you do as a nurse, whether good or bad, impacts how others view you professionally. One of the consequences nurses can face for abandoning patients is a damaged professional reputation. Once your reputation is tarnished by something like patient abandonment, it can impact future employment opportunities, as employers are careful to hire only nurses who they can depend on to be present and fulfill the responsibilities of their job.

Several years ago, I received a resume and application from a job applicant. In the section that asked if we could contact her employer, she answered “no,” by one of the employer’s names. I did not contact that employer, but someone from the previous place of employment heard she had applied at my facility, and they called to tell me that she was no longer employed because she was terminated for abandoning patient care. Although I did not call and find out that information myself, and despite her attempt to keep the truth hidden, her professional reputation followed her.

CONSEQUENCE #4: Emotional Impact

In addition to how others may view you for abandoning patients, there is also the risk of being emotionally impacted yourself. Many nurses who abandon patients, regardless of the reason, experience stress, guilt, and other psychological consequences. Because nurses are expected to provide high-quality, compassionate care and to promote continuity of care, it is understandable that the emotional impact can take its toll, even if you feel justified in your reason for discontinuing patient care.

Nursing is such a demanding career, and we invest so much into it. One of my friends is a registered nurse who worked three days a week at her previous job. She and I were visiting one day, and she told me that, even when she is not at work, she feels consumed with thoughts about work and her patients. For many of us, it seems that nursing is as much who we are as what we do, which means it can be difficult to identify with any other role or career. Because it is often difficult to separate ourselves from our jobs or imagine ourselves doing something else, one of the consequences of patient abandonment is that it can lead to experiencing a bit of an identity crisis, especially if you lose your job over the situation.

CONSEQUENCE #5: Civil Lawsuits

Another major consequence nurses can face for abandoning patients is civil lawsuits. While not all complaints of abandonment lead to lawsuits, it is important to acknowledge that patients or their loved ones can initiate legal action against you, seeking compensation for damages resulting from abandonment. If you are faced with a civil lawsuit, even if you did not initially lose your job, you could end up being suspended or terminated, as hospitals and other healthcare organizations do not want to be associated with any negative publicity, especially as it relates to these types of cases.

CONSEQUENCE #6: Criminal Charges

Although cases of abandonment are typically addressed through civil lawsuits, in certain circumstances, nurses can be criminally charged for abandoning patients. For example, if a nurse abandons a patient and the act of abandonment leads to serious injury or death, the nurse could be charged with criminal neglect. While the severity of charges varies depending on the circumstances of each case, if a nurse is found guilty of the criminal charges, they could face jail time in addition to other consequences they must face.

A former nurse I knew many years ago was charged with criminal neglect after leaving her job without handing off patient care. One of her patients had just been admitted to care following complications from surgery. The nurse did not report to oncoming staff that the patient was exhibiting signs of sepsis, and by the time the nurse who was assigned for the new shift got to the patient’s room, he had spiked a very high temperature and began to seize. The patient ended up in intensive care on a ventilator and later died. Although the patient may have developed a fever or even had seizures, because the nurse neglected to tell oncoming staff about the patient’s problems and did not hand-off care, she was considered responsible for the sharp decline in the patient’s status. She ultimately lost her job and later her license was revoked.

CONSEQUENCE #7: Financial Strain

Patient abandonment has far-reaching consequences for nurses. Another significant consequence nurses face when abandoning patients is the risk of financial strain. Whether you are suspended from work, terminated from employment, or sued in a civil case, the financial impact can be quite severe. For instance, in cases where a civil suit occurs, the amount of compensation patients receive is determined by the severity of the harm the patient experienced, the amount of medical expenses they incurred, pain and suffering, and lost wages. You can see where this can add up to a large amount quickly!

CONSEQUENCE #8: Loss of Professional Relationships

Even the best of friends at work experience a strain in their relationships when patient abandonment occurs. I remember working with a nurse early in my career who walked out of our facility without telling anyone, leaving patients unattended and staff scrambling to provide care. She was terminated from her position, but the end of her job was not the only loss she experienced. As a result of her actions, many nurses completely cut ties with her, stating if she did not care more for her patients or her coworkers than to leave them without help, they did not want anything to do with her. Unfortunately, I have seen these cases more than I care to recall. What is so sad about this situation is that even if a nurse "gets it together" after an incident like this, it is hard to repair professional relationships after trust is broken.

CONSEQUENCE #9: Loss of Nursing License

While there are many consequences nurses can face for abandoning patients, the most severe consequence is the suspension or revocation of their nursing license by the state board of nursing. Even if an employer does not immediately discipline or terminate a nurse for an accusation of abandonment, the state board of nursing can conduct an investigation and make decisions about the nurse’s licensure status based on their findings. It is important to note that anyone, including patients and their loved ones, can report a nurse to the state board of nursing.

My Final Thoughts

Patient abandonment in nursing is not only a serious breach of responsibility and patient trust, but it also comes with severe consequences for nurses. To prevent the risk of abandonment, it is important for nurses to ask, “What constitutes patient abandonment, and what consequences can nurses face for patient abandonment?”

While there are many consequences of abandonment in nursing, the 9 potential consequences nurses can face for abandoning patients featured in this article are the most common. By understanding the causes and consequences of patient abandonment, nurses can implement measures to prevent it, including fostering a positive work environment, ensuring adequate staffing, and promoting effective communication.

List Of Sources Used For This Article

1. “Understanding Communication in Nursing (with Examples, Importance, & How to Improve)” (nursingprocess.org)
2. “10 Most Common Examples of Patient Abandonment in Nursing” (nursingprocess.org)