Patient Safety
UNIVERSITY OF TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO
MASTERS IN HEALTH ADMINISTRATION (MHA)
PATIENT SAFETY
Individual Assignment 1
SUBMITTED BY:
Regan Ramkissoon PS57095
April 12th 2013
Patient Safety Assignment
Background
SUMMARY OF INCIDENT
On Friday 27th January 2012, a young mother was trying to get her ailing twenty one month old baby to the hospital. The child was an outpatient of the San Fernando General Hospital as he had three holes in his heart and an enlarged liver. Earlier that day the child began to run a high fever, the mother, having no vehicle of her own, hired a taxi to take her and her child to the hospital, unfortunately, the vehicle which was transporting them to the San Fernando General Hospital ran into mechanical problems and could not continue to their destination. The mother in desperation stopped another vehicle which tried to weave in and out of traffic to get to the hospital. It was at this time that the mother saw an ambulance which she stopped and pleaded with the personnel to take her and the child to the hospital. She was however, informed by the ambulance attendants that it was against policy to help persons like her on the road, and she was left holding her severely ill baby in the street. When she eventually arrived at the San Fernando General Hospital some time later, the child was pronounced dead on arrival. The autopsy found he died from cardio respiratory arrest.
As expected, this caused considerable public outcry. Citizens demanded to know the reason why the ambulance did not assist the mother and child in obvious distress. In an interview with the Express newspaper on the 29th January 2012, the Minister of Health stated as is the general impression of public, “an ambulance is an ambulance, they are supposed to help”.
.
Problem Identification
In this case, the ambulance identified was an Inter facility transfer ambulance of the South West Regional Health Authority. The Regional Health Authorities operates only
MASTERS IN HEALTH ADMINISTRATION (MHA)
PATIENT SAFETY
Individual Assignment 1
SUBMITTED BY:
Regan Ramkissoon PS57095
April 12th 2013
Patient Safety Assignment
Background
SUMMARY OF INCIDENT
On Friday 27th January 2012, a young mother was trying to get her ailing twenty one month old baby to the hospital. The child was an outpatient of the San Fernando General Hospital as he had three holes in his heart and an enlarged liver. Earlier that day the child began to run a high fever, the mother, having no vehicle of her own, hired a taxi to take her and her child to the hospital, unfortunately, the vehicle which was transporting them to the San Fernando General Hospital ran into mechanical problems and could not continue to their destination. The mother in desperation stopped another vehicle which tried to weave in and out of traffic to get to the hospital. It was at this time that the mother saw an ambulance which she stopped and pleaded with the personnel to take her and the child to the hospital. She was however, informed by the ambulance attendants that it was against policy to help persons like her on the road, and she was left holding her severely ill baby in the street. When she eventually arrived at the San Fernando General Hospital some time later, the child was pronounced dead on arrival. The autopsy found he died from cardio respiratory arrest.
As expected, this caused considerable public outcry. Citizens demanded to know the reason why the ambulance did not assist the mother and child in obvious distress. In an interview with the Express newspaper on the 29th January 2012, the Minister of Health stated as is the general impression of public, “an ambulance is an ambulance, they are supposed to help”.
.
Problem Identification
In this case, the ambulance identified was an Inter facility transfer ambulance of the South West Regional Health Authority. The Regional Health Authorities operates only