GP told to apologise to dead patient's family

A doctor cleared of inappropriately assessing a patient with suspected acute heart disease -- who later died -- has been directed to write a letter of apology to the dead woman's family.

The Health and Disability Commissioner said the dead woman's husband complained about the service provided to his wife by a general practitioner, referred to as Dr B.

An investigation into the doctor's standard of care focused on whether Dr B appropriately assessed and treated the 77-year-old woman -- referred to as Mrs A -- when she went to an accident and medical clinic on September 6, 2005, complaining of abdominal pain.

While the doctor considered acute heart disease as a cause of the woman's pain, she ruled it out as a possibility without performing an ECG -- an electrocardiogram.

The woman died three days later from a heart attack.

The commissioner said the issue was of importance given the prevalence of heart disease in New Zealand and the rate at which it claimed New Zealanders.

It was also an important issue given the different qualitative experience and expression of pain by women, the commissioner's report said.

The report said the case served as a reminder to general practitioners of the need to be particularly vigilant in the assessment of atypical chest or epigastric pain and alert to the possibility of a cardiac cause, especially in a patient with a history of heart disease.

The dead woman's husband wrote to the general manager of the clinic concerned about the care his wife received from the doctor.

He complained to the commission after a meeting with representatives from the clinic failed to resolve his concerns.

The report found that since the woman's death Dr B had "very carefully reflected" on her decision making.

Since the death she had started taking a "much more detailed history" and would offer anyone with abdominal symptoms an ECG.

The doctor had expressed her "very genuine and sincere sorrow" at the outcome.

The commissioner recommended the doctor apologise in writing to the dead woman's husband.

- NZPA