Doctors can sometimes make mistakes. Photo / Getty Images
Doctors failing to catch blood clots. Cancer being missed. Medicine given to patients who are allergic to it. Surgical equipment left inside patients.
These are scenarios that none of us want to experience in our lives, but these stories keep appearing in the media.
Many of these stories have been reported on by the Open Justice project, which often covers decisions made by the Health Practitioners Disciplinary Tribunal and the Health and Disability Commissioner.
Open Justice deputy editor Natalie Akoorie tells The Front Page podcast that the main reasons for complaints to these bodies are that patients or their families want answers.
“They want accountability and most often, they actually just never want another patient or whānau to suffer what they have,” Akoorie says.
Akoorie has covered cases of doctors using drugs that had been prescribed to patients, a gynaecologist who performed an STI check on a woman he met online, and an emergency department medical professional who crashed into an oncoming car and then fled the scene.
These all paint a worrying picture of the quality of care New Zealanders could receive from medical professionals.
“The Health and Disability Commissioner has come under heavy criticism in recent years because it came to light they were only investigating 4 per cent of complaints. The rest were being referred back to the relevant professional body - or after an initial assessment, they were ended with no further action,” says Akoorie.
Following those criticisms the Health and Disability Commissioner has increased the amount of complaints it investigates each year.
“Last year, the Health and Disability Commissioner received more than 3500 [complaints], and its advocacy service received almost 3000 complaints,” says Akoorie.
“It’s actually doubled the amount of complaints it’s investigating to 8 per cent, so that’s quite an improvement, but it’s still not great.”
While some offences are more serious than others, there is also a worrying trend of GPs and doctors missing symptoms, misreading results, or failing to take complaints seriously.
“It’s an indictment on our health system, which sees medical practitioners absolutely stretched beyond their limits,” says Akoorie.
“When something like this happens to you or someone you know, and it costs that person their life, especially if it’s a baby or an intellectually disabled person, it’s really tragic and answers are needed.”
So what are some of the reasons doctors make mistakes? What work is being done behind the scenes to safeguard patients? And what impact does this have on the trust between doctors and patients?
Listen to the full episode of The Front Page podcast for more on problems within the medical sector.
The Front Page is a daily news podcast from the New Zealand Herald, available to listen to every weekday from 5am. It is presented by Damien Venuto, an Auckland-based journalist with a background in business reporting who joined the Herald in 2017.
You can follow the podcast at iHeartRadio, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.
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