Methodist Hospital’s Rhetoric of Atonement: Examining an Organization’s Response to NICU Overdoses

Abstract

On a Saturday evening in September, 2006, six infants in the Newborn Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at an Indiana hospital were given incorrect doses of medication that ultimately ended with the death of three of the infants. How can an organization respond in this type of extreme situation, when the wrongful act unintentionally results in the worst outcome? This study examines the hospital’s response in addition to public discussion in the days immediately following the incident. Methodist Hospital’s response can best be understood through the framework of the rhetoric of atonement, one seeking forgiveness for the wrongful act and a repair of the relationship, and its tenets as a grounding theoretical lens: repentance, prayer, charity, authenticity, and public forum. The findings support the use of atonement even in an extreme situation and provide evidence of the mirroring of atonement in media narratives.