In Queensland police were sent to inform her elderly aunt of the hospital patient's death.
It is hard to imagine how this could happen. If you attend a hospital, every medical person you see will check your details, including your birth date and at times your home address and phone number.
Believe me, I know, and I am repeating what I wrote at the time.
I was to have surgery to remove a melanoma on the back of my neck. I attended the hospital to see a consulting specialist and this was the one time when I wasn't asked my birth date.
She began detailing the planned treatments to my chest, how deep the cuts would go, all the information I needed to know, but I was puzzled. She was clearly puzzled herself, as the realisation dawned on her that chest treatment wasn't matching the neck issue. Eventually she said, 'There something really wrong happening here'. Details were checked, and of course she was so apologetic about the mix up.
It took me time to realise what had happened. There was a patient there with the same first name as mine, and a similar sounding surname. When his name was called, I thought it was my name and stood up and went with the surgeon to a consulting room.
And she was the only medical person in a hospital who did not check my date of birth.
There was also some confusion once at the pharmacy that provides my drugs, and I expect it was the same person who was wrongly confused by the hospital.
Never get tired of having your birthdate checked in hospital. It is so important, and if you suspect you are wrongly identified, speak up straight away, because none of you want to know the extreme treatments you might undergo when it was not about you and your treatment will be much simpler.
Your wrist band should be checked if you are an inpatient. I'm sure Nurse Pixie was always thorough about this.
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Scary, especially to prevent you ask a birthdate and double-check the name!
ReplyDeleteOh my, Andrew!!! Yes, scary! Thank you for sharing this!
ReplyDeleteWhen D and I are home together (right now he is in China) it is generally my duty to bring him a cup of coffee and some biscuit or cake first thing in his morning. After he had been in hospital a few years ago we had a little running joke for a while where I asked him his name and date of birth before providing the to him.
ReplyDeleteMaybe you had to be there. Eventually the joke faded away.
That's funny, I giggled a bit.
DeleteThat is funny MC, but biscuit crumbs in the conjugal bed? No, no.
DeleteIt helps to have an uncommon surname. It is unlikely to be confused with another and I have to spell it for them since they never can spell it correctly.
ReplyDeleteWill Jay
Will
Deletewhen I had surgery ages ago, I was stamped on my body at Reception. Not foolproof I realise, but another step to check
Oh my gosh. That woman's poor family. Somebody died though. I wonder how long it took them to figure out who it actually was and notify her family?
ReplyDeleteI have heard about hospital mistakes before, but not as sadly as the recent confusion at Werribee Mercy Hospital.
ReplyDeleteThe woman who died was handled respectfully. But the similarly-named woman who was healthy well knew nothing about the crisis. The hospital did apologise after mixing up the identities, but the police had already informed the relatives of the live one that they needed to plan the funeral.
I called a patient back once for a port insertion into his chest. Something else was going on at the same time that needed my attention so I set him up to watch the video and left him. When I came back to talk to him he was quite agitated about what was happening. When I asked his name it was not the correct patient. He had stood up and come with me and before I could check his name and birth date, I had to leave him with the video. He was upset with me. Why he came with me was beyond me. The names didn't even sound similar.
ReplyDeleteHospitals stuff things up more than the public will ever know.
ReplyDeleteI accompanied a friend to our RAH last Monday, he is terrified of hospitals but needed a colonoscopy and endoscopy and at one point just before sedation there were at least seven doctors/assistants/technicians all crowded around asking his name and birthdate. He gripped my hand way too tight because there were far too many people for his comfort level. This is why I was allowed to stay until he was under.
ReplyDeleteThat was kind of you to accompany him.
DeleteYes, this is why surgeons sometimes write on the patient with a medical pen, the left leg or circle the problem. Hey, whatever works! Thanks for your comment. Andrew, I'm running on fumes here with my husband's situation. I'm sure you understand. I'm just putting one foot ahead of the other and continue blogging daily. Thanks for being a hopeful example of life after
ReplyDeleteYes I know Cloudia. I think about your situation at times and I am not envious. You'll get through it girlfriend.
DeleteNot real good to get people mixed up in a hospital or anywhere for that matter, Andrew. You were lucky someone checked your birth date. We sometime wonder why we are asked our date of birth so much in any situation, but it pays to. The poor women and her family, no she's very much alive and that mistake should never have happened.
ReplyDeleteI was lucky only in that I and the surgeon realised there was a disconnect. Had she checked my birthdate, she would have known straight away.
DeleteIt was only a consultation, wasn't it? I expect there would be a bit more double checking before there was a procedure. Come to think of it, the greater risk would have been to the other chap, when he turned up next time and the surgeon proceeded on the basis of her consultation with you.
DeleteI get that endless checking, on every visit, makes sense. And before last years hip surgery, the surgeon wrote on the correct hip and signed it! It was ages before his autograph wore off.
ReplyDeleteA nurse went to a house to set up a medicine pump for an elderly patient whom she had not met before. She checked the name, address, date of birth, and was asking if the woman understood the treatment, before setting it up, when she realised the treatment was not for her but for a twin sister, with a similar first name, elsewhere in the house.
ReplyDeletePatients often mis-hear in noisy hospitals and say yes to anything, and take off their name bands because they are uncomfortable, and don’t question if the tablets are a different colour. Never assume they are in any way wide awake and sensible. Check and recheck.
Thanks Nellie. One hospital stay had me taking drugs of different shapes, sizes and colours to what I knew, and not at the times I took them.
DeleteAlthough the hospital was reluctant, I managed my own medications for the next visit, rather than relying on what I was given.
I'd rather answer the same questions repeatedly than be mistaken for someone else.
ReplyDeleteOne time I went for knee surgery and they drew permanent marker all over the wrong leg. Some days I might have wondered why and said nothing but that day I did speak up and I had the correct surgery.
ReplyDeleteMistakes are made and I will never mind anybody double checking.
I can hear the lawyers circling from here. I wonder what kind of damages are available for emotional distress in Australia.
ReplyDeleteThe woman who was undead is taking legal action, and it will be drawn out and expensive. Even if she wins and is awarded court costs and legal fees, that doesn't mean all of them are covered.
DeleteThe hospital will probably make a last minute offer she won't refuse, and she'll take it.
DeleteOooh! A Mafia run Hospital! Gunshots and stabbings a speciality...my mind works in mysterious ways 😁
DeleteWow -- that's a close call! I've never minded being asked my birth date in a medical setting, but it always seemed a bit over-cautious. I guess not!
ReplyDeleteI am nervous enough going to a hospital and now even more so, Andrew.
ReplyDeleteI use 'mold' for the forms and 'mould' for the organisms. Just my usage quirk.
I'm so glad you prevented the mix-up via cautious caregivers and your due diligence. Professional staffers asked my name and birthdate at every stage of my yearly mammogram. I appreciate that fact and the newer practice of informing patients when all is well. My mother-in-law, and I apologize for repeating this story, died a painful death as cancer the scan DETECTED eventually spread to her bones.
ReplyDeleteA rightfully won lawsuit helped pay off our mortgage but we would prefer she lived. Her death occurred in 1998 and I'm again weeping over witnessing her pain, visible even when in a chemically induced coma. I wish you well, Andrew.