Patient study reveals dangerous hospital practices

MORE than one-in-10 patients are given medication without being asked who they are and almost 4% are operated on without having their identity confirmed.

In addition, nearly half of patients are given no details about the side-effects of medication prescribed during hospital stays.

The revelations are contained in the largest-ever patient survey, based on the experiences of almost 5,000 patients in 26 hospitals in 2004.

Carried out by the Irish Society for Quality and Safety in Healthcare (ISQSH), the survey highlights many negative patient experiences, including:

* Less than half (47.2%) observed members of their healthcare team wash their hands prior to carrying out an examination on them.

* One in 10 felt too intimidated to ask staff questions.

* A quarter of patients said staff discussed medical issues at their bedside, ignoring them.

* One in 10 had to wait 12 hours or more for a bed.

* On discharge, one in six were dissatisfied with the information they received regarding follow-up care.

Speaking at the launch of the report yesterday, Tánaiste and Health Minister Mary Harney expressed concern that not all patients were asked to confirm their identity before medication was administered or surgery carried out.

“I think everybody’s identity should be established before a surgical procedure takes place ... because serious errors can happen from a patient’s safety perspective, if the wrong medication is given to the wrong patient.”

ISQSH president Marie Kehoe said they found it alarming that patients were not being warned of the side effects of drugs.

The survey, “The Patients’ View”, concluded that many problems in hospitals related to a lack of communication. Dr Liam Twomey, Fine Gael health spokesman, said this was particularly true of patients who contracted MRSA in hospital but were not told.

On the positive side, the survey found 93% of patients satisfied with hospital treatment and services.

However, Labour health spokeswoman Liz McManus criticised the Government for its delay in setting up the Health Information and Quality Authority promised in the 2001 Health Strategy to advance the delivery of high quality services.