The competency of all non-consultant doctors at Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Drogheda in scanning for early pregnancies is being examined after one of its patients was wrongly informed her foetus had died.
The HSE has established a helpline, to be operational from tomorrow, for patients who may have concerns regarding the treatment they received in the Early Pregnancy Unit at the hospital, after Melissa Redmond was wrongly told by a doctor that her pregnancy would not progress any further.
Ms Redmond, from Donabate, Dublin, said she was given an abortive drug following the scan and an appointment was set for her to have the foetus removed. She said she told the doctor she still felt pregnant but was informed this could be the case for another seven days.
Ms Redmond said the family was heartbroken having heard the news but that her morning sickness continued and she decided to visit a GP to get a second opinion.
She told RTÉ Radio's Today with Pat Kenny the second scan by the GP allowed her to see and hear the baby's heartbeat.
Her husband, Michael, said he called Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital afterward and was asked to come in for another scan. This was carried out on a different machine in a different room and indicated the foetus was alive.
Mr Redmond said the initial scan produced a very grainy picture and that he felt the most sensitive equipment should be used in such situations.
He said senior staff expressed shock at the misdiagnosis and that the family decided to have the baby at the hospital. Ms Redmond gave birth to a baby boy, Michael, in March.
The HSE said this morning a review of the misdiagnosis had been done and a number of measures had been put in place at Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital to reduce the risk of further errors in the future.
- Patients are not being given abortive drugs until the diagnosis of miscarriage has been confirmed by a qualified sonographer.
- A consultant has given instruction to all non consultant hospital doctors (NCHDs) in the correct methodology of scanning for early pregnancy. That consultant is engaged in a process of verification with all scanning NCHDs so as to sign off on their competence.
- A suitable couch has been put in the Early Pregnancy Assessment Unit (EPAU) to allow for transvaginal scanning.
- The scan machine that was in use has been taken out of commission.
- Guidelines for the EPAU are at an advanced stage of development.
- A dedicated qualified sonographer will be assigned to the EPAU from 9am to 1pm from July.
Mr Redmond said he saw report on the incident that was produced by the hospital and was not satisfied with it.
He said the family had decided to go public with the story because it wanted to make sure other families were not at risk of similar misdiagnosis. He said it felt hospital management rather than the Minister for Health were at fault in this instance.
Dr Alan Finan of the HSE North East said scanning technology was in a constant state of improvement and that there was a need to keep medical equipment up to date.
He said resource issues were at play in the updating of equipment and that in this case it "took longer than it should have".
Labour spokeswoman on health Jan O'Sullivan has called for the Hiqa to carry out an immediate investigation into the incident.
"This hospital has been the subject of several medical scandals in recent years and unless there is total accountability through an independent report and a recognition by the Minister for Health that hospitals including Our Lady of Lourdes must be given the resources to replace outdated equipment, pregnant women will not trust the service," she said.
Patient Focus National Co-ordinator Sheila O'Connor said the revelation did not come as a surprise.
Ms O'Connor said the group deals with cases of misdiagnoses in different medical areas and different hospitals on a frequent basis. "Our feeling is that it's very, very sad and something we come across frequently enough in Patient Focus," she said.
Ms O'Connor called for a helpline to be set-up for other pregnant women treated at the hospital in similar circumstances to voice their concerns.
Fine Gael Health spokesman Dr James Reilly claimed patients were being put at risk as medics at the Drogheda hospital were facing pressure and increased workload after the downgrading of Louth County Hospital and Monaghan General Hospital.
"They (doctors) are being put in an invidious position which is making life extremely difficulty for everybody concerned," Dr Reilly said.
"And I believe it is putting patients at risk because it is creating so much pressure on doctors".
The helpline was set up after a number of calls from concerned patients, a spokesperson at the hospital said. It can be contacted on1800 200 529 from 9am tomorrow.