IG news Update,
A former Kelowna nurse failed to adequately assess and treat an Indigenous man while working in an emergency room, according to a discipline notice from the BC College of Nurses and Midwives (BCCNM).
The notice released Wednesday states that Catherine Lowe was working as an emergency room nurse in September 2021 when she found an indigenous man apparently without a pulse and unresponsive in the emergency department.
The discipline notice states, “Ms. Lowe did not adequately evaluate or perform any resuscitation measures for him, leading to the conclusion that he was dead. In addition, she did not meet the documentation standards relating to the said incident.”
The notice does not indicate the patient’s health outcome.
Lowe’s has allowed its registration to lapse. Nurses in British Columbia are required to renew their registration annually.
She has agreed to a public reprimand for violating several of her BCCNM professional standards, and has agreed to other conditions if she ever successfully applies for registration in the province.
These include suspending his registration for two months and taking remedial education in documentation, ethics and indigenous cultural protection.
The incident comes nearly a year after a province-wide inquiry found racism against Indigenous people in B.C.’s health care system is widespread and can be deadly.
Eighty-four percent of Indigenous people who participated in the study reported experiencing some form of discrimination in health care.
Months later, leaders of several regulatory colleges, including the BCCNNM, issued a joint apology to Indigenous people who have experienced racism and discrimination in the health care system.
