Incompetent medical staff

qo2cj1dsne8y4k

Just browsing online tonight and this article caught my eye. It's about a Dr that worked for a short period in Portlaoise Hospital and within a short space of time there's 5 different complaints about him, including reading an X-ray upside down, telling his team a patient was fine when she was in icu on oxygen and misreading a patients scan and telling the patient it was fine, when it showed abnormalities. The most scary mistake is when he was supposed to insert a cannula, he nearly sliced an OAP open with a scalpel, but was stopped when a nurse grabbed it from him.

In the enquiry she questioned if he was actually a dr at all as he lacked what even junior medical school students should know.

http://www.irishexaminer.com/ireland/nurse-snatched-scalpel-off-doctor-about-to-cut-vein-252597.html

Have you ever been on the recieving end of incompetent doctors? My dads currently in hospital and I have to say the care he has recieved has been outstanding, and I couldn't fault them at all. However; the same hospital sent my 44 year old mother home telling her she was fine, only for her to have emergency surgery less than 24 hrs later, and died two days later from an illness that would have been prevented had the hospital acted earlier.

It's scary to think that some doctors hired in Irish hospitals may not even be qualified. It really does seem to be hit and miss in regards to patient care.

jjbrien

I have had to take my wife to the out of hours medical service a few times this year. The lasest trip was friday 4/5 times its a totally usless doctor working there who ends up giving the wrong prescription and we end up having to go to our own doctor when hes working to get the right thing

Mint Aero

No any doc I've encountered personally were fantastic at their work but I'm aware there's people out there who aren't competent at their profession. Be it doctoring, nursing, soliciting, teachering etc. So next time I meet a doc or some other professional and they're sh*t I'll let you know.

qo2cj1dsne8y4k

Mint Aero wrote: »

No any doc I've encountered personally were fantastic at their work but I'm aware there's people out there who aren't competent at their profession. Be it doctoring, nursing, soliciting, teachering etc. So next time I meet a doc or some other professional and they're sh*t I'll let you know.

There's being **** at your profession and then there's being hired when you're so bad there's questions on whether you were actually qualified at all

somuj

Broke my wrist a few years ago. Went to A and E in Mullingar and was sent home with the doc telling me it was a sprain. Got a call the next morning from the hospital saying the xray was misread and that I had to go bac for a cast. Same hospital. sent my neighbour home with chest pains and he died few hours later.

Cliona99

Is there anything you can do in situations like those above?

(apart from possibly suing the doc/hospital?) If a doctor gets something completely wrong, (like the cannula/scalpel confusion in OP), who do you complain to?

diograis

the thing about asking a nurse if 140 is a high blood pressure is ridiculous! would be funny if it wasnt so serious

NuckingFacker

I think it might be quicker if we just briefly run through peoples experiences with competent medical staff. It'll save a lot of server space too.

liliq

Cliona99 wrote: »

Is there anything you can do in situations like those above?

(apart from possibly suing the doc/hospital?) If a doctor gets something completely wrong, (like the cannula/scalpel confusion in OP), who do you complain to?

Your service your say is the feedback system for the hse.

I've had a few dr's be as$holes.
I had a really serious infection around 3 years ago and had a doctor take out a canula that was blocked and getting backed up with blood, and swing the tube over a drip stand, spraying my infection filled blood all over the ward as he did.

spank_inferno

I love how the taxpayer pays for the training of many Irish students to become doctors year on year.... & the competition & standard is fierce.

....Only to treat them like cattle & pay them poorly compared to other markets happy to have their skill set.

.... So we then spend yet more money recruiting replacements from the next rung down, with a PhD from the "university of who knows".


And then we act surprised when standards fall.

Mr. CooL ICE

Broke my finger playing football and left it a few weeks before getting it checked. The doctor who viewed my xray tried to convince me I was developing arthritis (I was 27) and after being referred back to my GP, was put on NSAIDs. Was sent to a specialist in a private hospital who confirmed that yeah, it was broken.

Not a doctor, but I went to the pharmacist for surgical spirits (handy for cuts and grazes while playing on a dirty pitch). The young girl behind the counter said they were out of spirits, so gave me acetone instead. I rang my mother and told her this who said its used for removing fake nails and to not let it anywhere near an open wound. I went back to the pharmacy the next day, explained it to a different person who was horrified and gave me a big bottle of TCP and bandages as an apology.

jamesbondings

This isn't impotent medical staff forumis it?

diomed

LexieOnRale wrote: »

including reading an X-ray upside down

If he read it correctly while standing on his head I would be impressed.

dreamers75

Was told by 5 consultants in Tallaghts ICU that my father had 24 hours left to live. They turned off his machines and told us to plan a funeral. His lungs had failed and he couldnt breathe without a ventilator, his kidneys failed and he couldnt live without a dialsys machine. They said a heart attack would kill him shortly.


3 months ago..........still going after they turned off the machines...he had no interest in their diagnosis.....they changed their mind 3 days after they turned off the machine possibly doing more damage to him.

Told us rehab and he be out in the new year.

Told us yesterday he would never leave the hospital.

downloading MOTD to stick on a tablet for him to watch morrow.

Capt'n Midnight

It's AH so let's drag up this

http://www.irishexaminer.com/ireland/20-of-indian-pakistani-doctors-brought-to-ireland-fail-clinical-exams-179686.html

ONE in five foreign doctors brought to Ireland from India and Pakistan failed their exams, according to the HSE.
While more than half of the latest group of foreign doctors failed, the HSE said the overall failure rate was 20%.
...
However, it has emerged that only 54 of the 116 candidates who sat the Medical Council examinations in November and December passed. They had been paid €2,500 a month between October and December.

and this
http://www.irishexaminer.com/ireland/hse-treatment-of-foreign-doctors-deplorable-229643.html

The Irish Medical Organisation has demanded that the HSE take steps to improve treatment of Indian and Pakistani doctors in the health system amid fears that 80% of recent recruits intend to leave Ireland.

kowloon

I had to have a blood gas sample taken, I gather it's not the easiest thing to do but the doctor I had took about 20 attempts to get it right. Then he put a line in my other arm and left the tap thing open and hanging. I hadn't noticed because I wasn't feeling the best but there was a puddle of blood on the floor when someone came in and saw it and closed the thingy.

mikemac1

He said the role of Senior House Officer was advertised nationally and internationally, but Dr Osunkwo was the only applicant.

Poor Laois, nobody wants to move there

suicide_circus

People forget that medical staff and human and just as likely to make a balls of things as the rest of us.

xXxkorixXx

admiralofthefleet here on my wifes account

I had a very bad bout of cellulitis in october. i caught it on a saturday and went straight to the doctor and explained my symptoms to him and said its cellulitis (i had it 3 years ago and never forgot how bad it was or the symptoms). He told me i had the flu and sent me home to get paracetamol and ibuprofen after charging me €60.
The cellulitis got worse very quickly and i went back down the sunday. his reply this time was 'oh, i suppose it was celluitis all along. you were right, thats €60 please'. i laughed at him
i ended up in hospital and was a few hours away from potentially fatal toxic shock because the antibiotics he gave me on the sunday were too weak and the cellulitis had entered my lymph nodes and blood stream. he was the image of james reilly and from carlow for anyone that may know of him

useless

kowloon

suicide_circus wrote: »

People forget that medical staff and human and just as likely to make a balls of things as the rest of us.

More likely I'd say, they work stupidly long hours. If there was ever jobs unsuited to shifts I'd pick medical.

SpaceTime

spank_inferno wrote: »

.... So we then spend yet more money recruiting replacements from the next rung down, with a PhD from the ..

Medical doctors don't have PhDs unless they've done postgraduate research to a PhD level. The title Dr for most of them is more of a convention than anything else. Mr/Ms Xxxxxxx MD would be more appropriate.

But I agree we should be keeping our own graduates and after that we should be recruiting EU medics and only then looking further afield.

There is something seriously wrong with the way we are creating very badly designed career paths for medics and paramedics that are so unpleasant that they're fleeing the system.

Pay isn't the major issue from what I've heard from a lot of doctors and other medical professionals. It's crazy hours, lack of support, lack of career path, lack of recognition for anyone below consultant level and generally just very bad organisation.

Aestivalis

suicide_circus wrote: »

People forget that medical staff and human and just as likely to make a balls of things as the rest of us.

yeah but this Nigerian doctor was beyond incompetant. He didnt even know that a pulse rate of 160 was high. Thats something an occupational first aider should know.

suicide_circus

Aestivalis wrote: »

yeah but this Nigerian doctor was beyond incompetant. He didnt even know that a pulse rate of 160 was high. Thats something an occupational first aider should know.

This relates back to us not paying doctors top dollar so we can end up with some yeehaaw scamster

SpaceTime

It's a lot more than pay though. If you're going to work as a doctor, nurse, midwife or any medical professional you need a system behind you that actually supports you with adequate resources, propper facilities, competent management and management structures and a career path.

We have a chaotic health 'system' that puts staff under crazy pressure.

We're getting around that lack of job attractiveness by paying higher salleries to compensate (at least for certain doctors anyway)

The system is very broken and it's not going to be fixed by throwing more money down a hole. It needs to be very dramatically reorganised.

A lot of people actually go into "the caring professions" because they care...
There is something VERY wrong when you're seeing people fleeing to other systems, including the NHS sometimes on the same age lower salaries.

We really need to build an actual Irish Health System and not just a collection of vested interests milking various bits of it while the majority of the system stays in chaos.

jgr12

Had a really bad experience with my local mental health facility, I have depression and hit a really bad point, my gp wanted to send me to hospital but I had to go to this place to be assessed.

I was sent there earlier this year and vowed never to go back because of the experience I had then, but was told that I had no choice this time, luckily my fiance was with me, the doctor was really ignorant, belligerent, asked me only very basic questions, tried to diagnose me with a personality disorder (I was assessed by two psychiatrists who disagreed), gave out to my fiance for not being in work and told me basically if I didn't cop on she would leave me and then more or less told the two of us to **** off home.

The reaction I got there was exactly why I was so afraid to seek help for so long, I'm just lucky that I have an excellent gp. The thing that frightens me the most about that place is how easy it is for a doctor there to just dismiss people and if they give out or get upset over how they're treated the response is just "well you're mentally ill"

Gongoozler

My mum died because of an incompetent doctor. Misdiagnosed for too long, got help too late.

hmmm

If we paid doctors what they were worth, we'd have complaints about "excessive salaries" and demands that any amounts paid over €x were taxed at 90%. We can't have it both ways by taxing high earners to crazy levels and expect those high earners to stick around. So we're stuck importing doctors from 3rd world countries who may or may not be competent.

Similarly we can't be cutting back on health spending and support arrangements, so that we can continue to employ thousands of unwanted administrators.

myshirt

This story is shocking.

I read they nearly fell off their chair when the testimony detailing he asked about the high pulse. Surely that can't be true?
While I'll accept the central point that someone can be incompetent, that can't be true, surely. That is incredible.

Good to see some level of checks and balances operating - imagine this guy operating unabated for longer and longer - woah.
Nevertheless, a lot of serious questions for the health service.

In my own case, I thankfully have experienced and seen nothing but fantastic care in Ireland, be it my parents, friends or kids over the years.
Getting in the door was the problem. But when we were there, very good.

Ken.

I know a man from Dublin who had a persistent cough for 18 months. After being given every medication known to man his own G.P. advised him to take up smoking. He recommended 10 major a day. This was 1998/99. He reported the doctor to the medical council and the doctor was told retire or be struck off. Doctor was in his late 70's.

goose2005

SpaceTime wrote: »

Medical doctors don't have PhDs unless they've done postgraduate research to a PhD level. The title Dr for most of them is more of a convention than anything else. Mr/Ms Xxxxxxx MD would be more appropriate.

No, an MD also requires a postgraduate course. Most doctors are MB BCh BAO, bachelors of medicine, surgery, obstetrics and gynaecology.

ruthloss

Mint Aero wrote: »

No any doc I've encountered personally were fantastic at their work but I'm aware there's people out there who aren't competent at their profession. Be it doctoring, nursing, soliciting, teachering etc. So next time I meet a doc or some other professional and they're sh*t I'll let you know.

cabledude

goose2005 wrote: »

No, an MD also requires a postgraduate course. Most doctors are MB BCh BAO, bachelors of medicine, surgery, obstetrics and gynaecology.

A PhD and a postgade course are not necessarily the same thing.

donegal__road

2 tips if you are ever in hospital..

Bring in a laptop and try and find cricket online, doctors will be in and out to your room every 20 minutes.

On your personal details sheet, say that one of your occupations is a free lance journalist.

Aoifums

One of the psychiatrists in my local mental health clinic is atrocious. Luckily, I only saw her once. On top of being vague and not asking half the questions that she should have asked, she couldn't even fill out a prescription form. I tried to complain but the consultant completely brushed me off (she was horrible anyway) and it was very hard to find the person who could actually process my complaint.

jgr12 wrote:

The reaction I got there was exactly why I was so afraid to seek help for so long, I'm just lucky that I have an excellent gp. The thing that frightens me the most about that place is how easy it is for a doctor there to just dismiss people and if they give out or get upset over how they're treated the response is just "well you're mentally ill"

That sounds unfortunate but completely believable.

camel jockey

Nigerian scammer. Perhaps he wasn't making enough from 419 scams and decided to try his hand as a doctor.

Glad to see that his subsequent visa application was refused.

fatherted1969

I was sent to company doctor after a weight fell on me in work. Doctor said i'd a soft tissue injury and prescribed painkillers and physio. 4 weeks into physio and she says there must be more wrong with me and sent letter to doctor to send me for xray. Turned out i'd broken my back in 2 places. Went into brace for 6 months. Doctors eh

HomelessMidge

My GP diagnosed me with a viral infection in my throat. I had leukemia!

SeaDaily

dreamers75 wrote: »

Was told by 5 consultants in Tallaghts ICU that my father had 24 hours left to live. They turned off his machines and told us to plan a funeral. His lungs had failed and he couldnt breathe without a ventilator, his kidneys failed and he couldnt live without a dialsys machine. They said a heart attack would kill him shortly.


3 months ago..........still going after they turned off the machines...he had no interest in their diagnosis.....they changed their mind 3 days after they turned off the machine possibly doing more damage to him.

Told us rehab and he be out in the new year.

Told us yesterday he would never leave the hospital.

downloading MOTD to stick on a tablet for him to watch morrow.

What point is this meant to proof? All this shows is that your dad has been very lucky and overcome the odds to survive. He must be a fighter. You can in no way imply from this the medical care was poor? What, do you think they were lying to you? Do you think they wanted him to die? Get over yourself and be glad your father is still alive.

Most people here seem to forget that doctors are in fact still human and as such are liable to make mistakes. This is only made worse by the horrendous working conditions they must endure if operating in Ireland.

SeaDaily

evosteo wrote: »

my mother went to the doctor with bad headaches and dizziness, she was prescribed migraine tablets, she went back a few weeks later for a repeat prescription as the pain was getting worse, junior doctor was on and straight away didn't like the look of her, sent her straight up to hospital. she was diagnosed with a terminal brain tumour

i have also had numerous issues with doctors including them sending me home with a broken foot.

i agree there are a lot of good doctors out there who love their job and are good at it but there are a hell of a lot incompetent ones just in the game for the money:mad:

Lol at the money part. You mustn't know any doctors if you think anyone would be stupid enough to be a doctor for the money.

cassid

My little baby was unwell and brought them into A&E, was told it was an infection and expect it to get much worse before it would get better and told, new mums are such worriers!!, brought baby home, and they were still unwell, brought them back 6 hours later and it was bacterial meningitis. Consultant said if we waited another few hours if he would have died.

SeaDaily

cassid wrote: »

My little baby was unwell and brought them into A&E, was told it was an infection and expect it to get much worse before it would get better and told, new mums are such worriers!!, brought baby home, and they were still unwell, brought them back 6 hours later and it was bacterial meningitis. Consultant said if we waited another few hours if he would have died.

Are you using this as an example of good or bad medical care? From what I've read your child is still alive and a consultant saved their life. Seems like a happy ending to me.

gctest50

More straightforward one for you :

Asked one to do a blood glucose test

- they went "Oh, it's high because you had Coca-cola" - sent me on my way
- >27.5 is more than a bit high

Not being able to use the tools of your trade is something else

robjones1981

Doctors still working 75 plus hours a week and 32 hours a shift with no break at all - there are bound to be mistakes

Quazzie

SeaDaily wrote: »

Lol at the money part. You mustn't know any doctors if you think anyone would be stupid enough to be a doctor for the money.

So doctors don't earn good money?#

ProfessorPlum

Quazzie wrote: »

So doctors don't earn good money?#

Their hourly rate is pretty ****e alright. Wouldn't do it if you paid me. Oh yeah - that's the thing. They don't actually pay them for a lot if it.

cassid

SeaDaily wrote: »

Are you using this as an example of good or bad medical care? From what I've read your child is still alive and a consultant saved their life. Seems like a happy ending to me.

he's alive thank God, no thanks to the original doctors who saw him and diagnosed a viral infecion. But he has long term health problems associated with having meningitis, he has spent so much of his life in hospital with major problems. It is was picked up earlier his life could have been much different.

lillycool

One thing from experience that really struck me about the Health system here and the two-tier system that we have .... I had a consultation a few years ago with an apparently great consultant privately who coincidentally had also treated a family member, great recommendations from her and he was lovely to me, it was nothing serious in the end but great service. I was really happy with the process.
A couple of months later - a GP recommended I get something checked out and advised it would be quicker to go to St James on the public health system. Funnily enough, met the exact same Consultant, except this time he had his 'public patient' face on. There were 3 medical student in the room with him, he didn't remember meeting me previously and was extremely rude the second I walked in the door, showing off slightly to his students (aka.. this is the way its done lads) and I honestly felt that he couldn't give a crap about me as the patient in the room. I actually worked in a Health Insurance company at the time, dealing with Consultants, I didn't mention it though.

It made me think very long and hard about the Health System in Ireland. I think we would be better off without this two tier system and something closer to the NHS in UK in terms of scope would work better.

A Neurotic

lillycool wrote: »

One thing from experience that really struck me about the Health system here and the two-tier system that we have .... I had a consultation a few years ago with an apparently great consultant privately who coincidentally had also treated a family member, great recommendations from her and he was lovely to me, it was nothing serious in the end but great service. I was really happy with the process.
A couple of months later - a GP recommended I get something checked out and advised it would be quicker to go to St James on the public health system. Funnily enough, met the exact same Consultant, except this time he had his 'public patient' face on. There were 3 medical student in the room with him, he didn't remember meeting me previously and was extremely rude the second I walked in the door, showing off slightly to his students (aka.. this is the way its done lads) and I honestly felt that he couldn't give a crap about me as the patient in the room. I actually worked in a Health Insurance company at the time, dealing with Consultants, I didn't mention it though.

It made me think very long and hard about the Health System in Ireland. I think we would be better off without this two tier system and something closer to the NHS in UK in terms of scope would work better.

Just a quick point on this, some doctors are very accommodating and will always ask you if it's ok for a student to sit in (particularly in psychiatry and obstetrics/gynaecology clinics), while others will never bother to ask and assume that you don't mind. But people always absolutely have the right to ask not to have students in the room for their consultation. Same goes for having students poke and prod at them on the wards. Us med students get away with far too much in terms of harassing sick and worried people IMO.

JuliusCaesar

diograis wrote: »

the thing about asking a nurse if 140 is a high blood pressure is ridiculous! would be funny if it wasnt so serious

Where was that? I didn't see it in the Examiner article.

Tasden

I've always found the consultants are a little out of touch especially compared to student doctors or nurses- they could be entirely wrong terms BTW so if I'm insulting anyone's position/ title apologies!- and the people "on the ground" so to speak. They just seem to lack a practical knowledge compared to those dealing with patients in wards and whatnot. The people in temple street who are healthcare assistants I think they're called, they don't do much medical stuff more just tending to the kids' needs, are absolute angels, the place would be lost without them. My GPs (a clinic where the doctors are interchangeable) are useless, the only time I ever go now is to get a cert because I don't trust their judgement at all.

SeaDaily

Quazzie wrote: »

So doctors don't earn good money?#

For what they do, the pay really isn't great. If you knew any doctors you would know that they are worked into the ground all year round for what isn't actually great pay. There is a general misconception that doctors are very well paid and it isn't true.