Report into 2003/2004 New South Wales (Australia) hospital safety released
Monday, January 31, 2005
New South Wales — 452 serious incidents that occurred during 2003 and 2004 have been brought to light, by a report released today about the safety of patients in the hospital system in New South Wales, Australia. Many of the incidents highlighted by the report resulted in injury, or even death.
The report detailed 13 patients who had operations that they were not meant to have or who had the wrong part of the body operated upon. It also noted that another 22 were seriously injured in falls in wards and bathrooms.
Other statistics included four suicides in hospital, with another 128 occurring in community care. Another nine people retained surgical instruments or materials inside them after the operation. The rest of the serious incidents related to labour and delivery problems (26) and clinical management problems (157).
Sources
edit- "NSW hospital deaths, injuries revealed" — ABC News Online, January 31, 2005
- Lillian Saleh. "Drastic surgery on wrong patients" — The Sunday Mail, January 31, 2005
- Ruth Pollard. "Hospitals riddled with fatal mistakes" — The Sydney Morning Herald, January 31, 2005