The Irish Examiner Newspaper reports today that Barrington’s Hospital, one of the leading private hospitals in the West of Ireland, has been ordered by the Irish Minister for Health to cease all Breast Cancer services on foot of concerns from her Chief Medical Officer and the Health Information & Quality Authority about the
“adequacy of the management and care of 10 women who attended the breast disease services within the last four years”
This story is also carried by Ireland’s national broadcaster, RTE.
The background to this closure is the misdiagnosis of breast cancer in the case of a woman who had been given the ‘all clear’ on two seperate occasions, resulting in a delay of 18 months in starting treatment.
So, does this count as an IQ Trainwreck?
- Information did not meet or exceed expectations – when a hospital test is performed on us we expect the results to support correct and timely diagnosis of illness and enable early and effective treatment. Two incorrect ‘all clear’ results and an 18 month delay in treatment falls short of that expectation
- There has been a significant impact on the ‘information consumer’, the patient at the centre of the concerns. Her health has probably suffered further and she and her family have likely experienced much trauma and upset.
- There has been a significant impact on the faith people have in the ability of our health care professionals to make us better (or at least no worse).
- The Government has stepped in and, as a result, there is now a further curtailment of available services for breast cancer screening in Ireland.
Yup.. that looks like an IQ Trainwreck to me.
Any thoughts?