On July 23, 2020 a panel of the Inquiry Committee approved a Consent Agreement between BCCNP and Suzanne Biggs of Vancouver to address practice issues related to the following:
A standard quality assurance review (i.e. observation shifts) conducted by the Registrant's employer spurred a larger investigation into the Registrant's workplace performance including a retrospective review. Results from March to November 2018 indicated that while the Registrant was employed as a Registered Nurse with certification in Sexually Transmitted Infections ("STI"), she failed to meet a significant proportion of care requirements, leading to significant risk of patient harm. Due to the deficits, of the 364 reviewed client encounters, the employer made 67 disclosures to patients alerting them to the need for additional screening and follow up. The Registrant subsequently resigned her employment with the employer.
Specifically, the Employer's review of the Registrant's practise indicated the following:
- The Registrant failed to consistently perform or document a relevant, focused STI or cervical screening assessment or refer clients to appropriate follow up, causing significant risk of under-diagnosis and delayed or absent treatment for serious disease(s). Her client population consisted primarily of individuals at high risk of contracting or transmitting sexual transmitted infections.
- She did not follow the Decision Support Tools (DST) for STI and cervical screening as the mandatory algorithm for safe assessment in BC, referral and follow up for this client population. She undertook minimal review of any client records in the course of assessment and referral. She failed to review records related to, or canvas information about, her clients' relevant sexual health history, rendering her subsequent assessment and any referrals uninformed and therefore suspect in terms of efficacy. She reported subscribing to a client-led informed consent process but failed to provide clients with the information needed to make an informed decision.
- She failed to collect important demographic data from clients to ensure effective dissemination of information that they may be at risk of STI transmission. She failed to document or offer necessary preventative cervical cancer screening and/or corresponding health education to numerous clients. She practised outside of scope by treating a client for a UTI when a referral ought to have been made to a physician or nurse practitioner.
- During an observation shift intended to assess quality of practise, after asking the assessor for guidance (but receiving none due to the nature of the observation), the Registrant conducted a physical assessment and asked irrelevant questions of a client who had returned due to the recurrence of a prior STI, when a review of his record would have sufficed for appropriate follow up recommendations and been in keeping with client-centered care. She was also unable to accurately conduct or interpret a blood pressure.
- Her records reflected documentation errors including documenting Hepatitis A and Hepatitis B vaccines as recommended when it was not; incorrectly documenting HPV vaccine status; and incorrectly documented a vaginal smear test as negative when no testing had been completed.
The Registrant has agreed to resolve the matter by way of a Consent Agreement including a suspension of her registration license for twelve months; completing remedial courses to address the practice concerns; undergoing a preceptorship for three months upon re-entering practice at which time she shall only practice under the supervision of a Registered Nurse; an Agreement to not engage in, or seek to engage in, autonomous or certified nursing practice and public notice of the reasons for the Inquiry Committee's decision.
The Inquiry Committee is satisfied that the terms of the Agreement are sufficient to protect the public.