nhs blunder how can they make a mistake like that?

Question

my sister went to hospital on friday for a check up before she has her hernia op on monday, when she got there she had to answer some security questions about her self, then went in to see the consultant who said to her "so i see you are having a full hysterectomy" of course she replied no hernia op the doctor then went on to say its says on your notes you are having a hysterectomy.......

what would of happened if they did a hysterectomy instead of a simple hernia op she is only 25 and wants kids

Answer 1

She could have sued them for a few million and adopted all the kids she wants. Wouldn't have been much consolation, though.

But the trouble is that we see so many people coming through the health care system. There are so many bits of paper floating around. There are so many names for so many drugs and so many procedures.

There are mistakes that occur commonly and we know to guard against them. I'm glad that the mistake in your sister's paperwork was picked up before the operation took place.

I am a doctor. When I write an order for medications, it is not unknown for us to have a lot on our minds and occasionally we write the wrong thing. I remember maybe 12 instances in my 10 years of being a doctor. Often it is that I've asked for something to be given orally or IV when it can't and the nurses usually pick this sort of mistake up.

Surgeons operating on a limb have been known to operate on the wrong arm or leg. The good ones often will draw a sign saying "This Leg" with their signature on it so they can recognize the limb they need to operate on when the patient is draped up, painted brown with betadine and otherwise unrecognizable ... oh and asleep with a tube down their throat.

It's not beyond comprehension that a mistake like this has been made - either someone wrote hysterectomy instead of hernia - or the wrong name on the wrong piece of paper - or forms have been switched somewhere.

Answer 2

In addition to other answers - the checks that are done are complained of as being downright irritating by many patients, but they are there for a reason. I cannot imagine for one second that a theatre geared up for general surgery (ie your sister's hernia op) would have a patient on the list for a hysterectomy (a gynae op). The specialities are quite different.

Having said that, if, as has been mentioned, she was going in for an amputation, then it is perfectly feasible to get a limb in a muddle. This is why sugeons draw on the affected limb or area to be operated on with an indelible ink pen. Otherwise she could theoretically have the hernia operated on the wrong side.

Far more of a risk in a NHS hospital is a hospital infection. Please ensure your sister cleans the toilet before she uses it and washes her hands thoroughly. Also, make sure she only drinks bottled water and drinks out of her own cup, preferably from home.

Do not allow other patients to sit on her bed or to touch her things and ask the nurses AND the doctors to wash their hands before doing any hands-on care.

Get up and move around ASAP to avoid any cardiac, respiratory or other circulatory problems - thinking particularly of DVT and respiratory infections. Drink plenty and eat plenty of roughage to get those bowels moving before discharge!

Phew!

Answer 3

But they didn't. They have a checking mechanism and in this case it worked. The consultant checked and found the error.

In any organisation mistakes happen and the consequences of those mistakes can be horrendous. That's why they check and double check.

I bet your sister has at least three conversations with medics, checking and going over the procedure when she goes in on Monday, and the whole thing is explained again when she signs the consent form.

For her to have had a hysterectomy, she would have had to miss the mistake several times and sign a consent form agreeing to that procedure. Thankfully, the error was spotted early.

Answer 4

that's why there's so many checks in place. I'm a nurse and i work on a surgical ward and on the day of the op the consultant, junior dr, anaethatist, and nurse all check what your having when you get on the ward to make sure mistakes don't happen also i'm sure when they tried to consent her for the wrong op she'd heve mentioned it. When you get t theatre they also check there what your having so there is only very little room for mistake.
At the end of the day consultants are only human and mistakes happen, but thankfully there normally minor things.
I do know how scary it is to be told there doing the wrong thing as when i went to see my consultant about my op they had me down for the wrong op, and when they checked they'd picked up two sets of notes at once so were looking at the wrong ones.

Answer 5

i think you should definately write a letter of complaint about this- it's ok for doctors to say they make a mistake but making a mistake can cause somebody their life.
if your sister had a hysterectomy her whole reproductive system would have been removed, and she wouldn't be able to have kids. If the hysterectomy involved removing her ovaries, then she would have been on hormone replacement pills for a very long time.

Answer 6

blooming heck your sister has been lucky its not like they could do corrective surgery on a hysterectomy, thank god the consultant mentioned it before hand because no amount of compensation can make up the for the fact that they would have took her chances away of her ever having children through a typing error, no wonder so many people are nervous of the nhs when their life is in their hands

Answer 7

Yes, everyone is capable of mistakes, but it's scary. When I had my 2nd baby, my doctor sewed me back up down there after having to cut to get my baby out. Then, like afterwards, I was feeling a lot of pressure down there. It turns out he had left an entire roll of gauze inside me. It was very humiliating and painful, because then he had a nurse come in and check to make sure there was nothing else in there by sticking her whole hand up there after I just had stitches.

Answer 8

omg thats shocking... thats not really the kinda thing you wanna find out before an op is it? imagine they didnt get round to changing her notes? it's scary to think about really, i'd be panicking if i were her, dreading them putting me to sleep in case they got confused again ....

Answer 9

a good job that she had the consultaion befor hand tell her to write accross her tum hernia only

Answer 10

she would defenatly be able to sue the hospital and i would make sure all who was involved struck of and never work again in a hospital,