Medical Error: Why hospitals still aren't telling patients the truth
The failure of open disclosure has been at the heart of recent medical scandals, including CervicalCheck and the Portlaoise babies. Patients want the truth, but for healthcare staff fearful of legal action, forthcoming legislation may only muddy the waters further
Edel Tahran’s father James “Jimmy” Power had chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and asthma, and was no stranger to University Hospital Waterford. “He must have been sent to hospital 50 or 60 times – they knew his name,” she says. One day her mother called an ambulance for her father, who was suffering a worsening bout of asthma. This was a run-of-the-mill event, says Tahran. “We thought we would just pick him up later ...
