Getting to the heart of medical error and malpractice
In a 2003 Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI) survey, “about a quarter [of adults] said that an adverse event had occurred in their own care, or that of a family member.” Half claimed that the adverse event had produced “serious health consequences.” Three-quarters claimed that it had “led to a hospital visit or longer hospital stay.” One in 20 stated that it had resulted in the death of a relative.
A paper published in Health Affairs in 2003 confirmed medical error to be a universal problem with potentially serious consequences. Of those Americans who had experienced a medical error, 63 per cent claimed it had led to a “serious health problem.” For New Zealanders, the figure was 60 per cent. For Australians, 55 per cent. For Britons, 51 per cent. For Canadians, 60 per cent.
While the reasons for malpractice and error are difficult to discern, a 2018 investigation into deaths at a British hospital offers new insight into the link between organizational culture, medical practice and health outcomes. In late June, the Gosport Independent Panel (GIP) published its report into deaths at the National Health Service’s Gosport War Memorial Hospital. The panel found that over a period of 11 years, more than 650 elderly patients had their lives cut short as a consequence of the hospital’s prescribing regime. Specifically, as a consequence of the prescribing of dangerous levels of opioid drugs.
In the early 1990s, some of Gosport’s nurses, concerned about the regime, spoke to the Royal College of Nursing. At a December 1991 meeting with hospital managers, Gosport’s nurses were told to address their concerns to the responsible doctor, the senior sister and a consultant geriatrician. According to the GIP, concerned staff were told “to keep any concerns within the ward, rather than taking their concerns to others outside the hospital.”