Ilena Rose
2006-07-22 15:27:25 UTC
Patients' lives are at risk because of 'medical blunders'
By LUCY BALLINGER, Daily Mail
12:33pm 21st July 2006
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=396941&in_page_id=1770
Professor Sir Liam Donaldson believes there is too much complacency
about errors in healthcare which can result in the deaths of patients.
Sir Liam will criticise the medical profession in his fifth annual
report, which is published today, for not reducing the number of
mistakes made.
He said the medical profession should learn from the airline industry
how to reduce mistakes.
He told the BBC Ten O'Clock News: "Error is common in healthcare
around the world - something like one in 10 people who receive
hospital care in America, Australia and Britain undergo some sort of
medical error.
"It may just be that their records get confused with another patient's
but in some cases tragically it results in death.
"There's a lot we can learn from the airline industry about reporting
and analysing incidents and taking action to reduce risk.
"Rather than looking at harm and deaths that occur to patients as one
off events, we should look at connections and similarities, the common
causes, and use them as a source for learning and action just as the
airline industry has done."
Last year, a report by the National Audit Office estimated that up to
34,000 patients die every year as a result of medical mistakes.
Sir Liam believes there is complacency about medical mistakes and more
needs to be done to reduce them.
He said: "The airline industry has systematically reduced the risk of
air travel - healthcare hasn't yet done that whichever country we look
at."
The expert also has concerns about the effects of NHS deficits on
public health spending.
He said: "We've had reports at local level that when hospitals have
been in financial crisis there has been a tendency to use whatever
budgets are available to restore them to financial balance.
"It's very important we don't drain local public health budgets dry
for that purpose and we sustain public health programmes for smoking,
for obesity, for sexual health, that are so important for the future
health of our population - and to reduce future demands on the health
service."
In February a shocking survey listed horrifying cases of medical
blunders including a woman who was given a hysterectomy after a
records mix-up, a man who had the wrong testicle removed and a child
who was mistakenly circumcised after doctors visited the wrong home.
Sir Liam's comments come just days after Sir Ian Kennedy, chairman of
health watchdog the Healthcare Commission, said the NHS needed to
improve patient safety.
Sir Ian believes although "stuttering progress" towards a
patient-centred service has been made, managing finances properly or
pushing people through the system is sometimes still the priority. He
said there must be "cultural change" within the NHS.
He said: "Safety has to remain at the top of the agenda. Safe care is
the most important thing, and I don't think it has been at the top of
the agenda all the time."
Last week Sir Liam unveiled another report which suggested doctors
could face five-yearly MOT-style check-ups to prove they are safe to
practise. The proposal was unveiled in the wake of the murders by GP
serial killer Dr Harold Shipman.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
www.BreastImplantAwareness.org/QuackWAtchWAtch.htm
By LUCY BALLINGER, Daily Mail
12:33pm 21st July 2006
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=396941&in_page_id=1770
Professor Sir Liam Donaldson believes there is too much complacency
about errors in healthcare which can result in the deaths of patients.
Sir Liam will criticise the medical profession in his fifth annual
report, which is published today, for not reducing the number of
mistakes made.
He said the medical profession should learn from the airline industry
how to reduce mistakes.
He told the BBC Ten O'Clock News: "Error is common in healthcare
around the world - something like one in 10 people who receive
hospital care in America, Australia and Britain undergo some sort of
medical error.
"It may just be that their records get confused with another patient's
but in some cases tragically it results in death.
"There's a lot we can learn from the airline industry about reporting
and analysing incidents and taking action to reduce risk.
"Rather than looking at harm and deaths that occur to patients as one
off events, we should look at connections and similarities, the common
causes, and use them as a source for learning and action just as the
airline industry has done."
Last year, a report by the National Audit Office estimated that up to
34,000 patients die every year as a result of medical mistakes.
Sir Liam believes there is complacency about medical mistakes and more
needs to be done to reduce them.
He said: "The airline industry has systematically reduced the risk of
air travel - healthcare hasn't yet done that whichever country we look
at."
The expert also has concerns about the effects of NHS deficits on
public health spending.
He said: "We've had reports at local level that when hospitals have
been in financial crisis there has been a tendency to use whatever
budgets are available to restore them to financial balance.
"It's very important we don't drain local public health budgets dry
for that purpose and we sustain public health programmes for smoking,
for obesity, for sexual health, that are so important for the future
health of our population - and to reduce future demands on the health
service."
In February a shocking survey listed horrifying cases of medical
blunders including a woman who was given a hysterectomy after a
records mix-up, a man who had the wrong testicle removed and a child
who was mistakenly circumcised after doctors visited the wrong home.
Sir Liam's comments come just days after Sir Ian Kennedy, chairman of
health watchdog the Healthcare Commission, said the NHS needed to
improve patient safety.
Sir Ian believes although "stuttering progress" towards a
patient-centred service has been made, managing finances properly or
pushing people through the system is sometimes still the priority. He
said there must be "cultural change" within the NHS.
He said: "Safety has to remain at the top of the agenda. Safe care is
the most important thing, and I don't think it has been at the top of
the agenda all the time."
Last week Sir Liam unveiled another report which suggested doctors
could face five-yearly MOT-style check-ups to prove they are safe to
practise. The proposal was unveiled in the wake of the murders by GP
serial killer Dr Harold Shipman.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
www.BreastImplantAwareness.org/QuackWAtchWAtch.htm