"Thousands of treatment errors in Germany lead to sometimes serious consequences - even death. Often they are incorrect diagnoses. The Charité is currently being criticized for possible errors.
According to the Patient Safety Action Alliance, everyone has to expect at least one medical diagnosis error in their life.
This applies to both under- and over-diagnosis, for example in the case of autism or asthma.
But Germany does not record these errors. "We do not measure them because we do not want to know about them," complained chairwoman Ruth Hecker in Berlin on the occasion of World Patient Safety Day on Tuesday.
According to Hecker, treatment errors swallow billions of euros in the health system. Because an incorrect diagnosis or an incorrectly prescribed medication often has long-term and expensive consequences.
Patient safety must be put on the political agenda urgently and with great seriousness. And we finally need more knowledge about which screw needs to be turned first. Other countries are much further ahead in this regard, says Hecker.
An open culture of error is necessary
The action alliance believes that dealing with errors transparently is an important learning step. An open culture of communication is needed, "in which errors are seen as learning opportunities and there is no fear of sanctions," said Hecker.
This is the only way to achieve transparency and improvements. "It is not enough to take individual safety measures - patient safety must be deeply anchored in everyday work processes and in the mindset of all those involved."
This also includes finally getting away from the economic pressure in hospitals.
Because, according to Hecker's judgment, there is still a lack of a safety culture in the German health care system.
According to the alliance's surveys, up to 19,000 people die in Germany every year as a result of avoidable treatment errors.
Patient safety is not just a matter for practices and clinics, but must be taken into account by all decision-makers in the health care system. "Whether it's about financing, equipment or the working conditions of medical staff - the safety of patients must always be the top priority," said Hecker.
Like the Medical Service, the action alliance is calling for a so-called never event list.
In other words, an anonymous survey of treatment errors that should never have happened.
One example is including a patient. "If patients are harmed by avoidable errors, that is also a violation of human rights," said the vice-chairman of the action alliance, Christian Deindl. The patient must be included much more in his treatment plan.
Charité: Serious injury overlooked, children in danger?
The Berlin Charité is currently under criticism due to research by RTL and the magazine 'Stern': Three journalists spent several weeks researching undercover in the clinic. Doctors had overlooked serious head injuries in a patient, a seriously ill baby had received ten times the amount of a medicine, two girls with cancer and weakened immune systems had been lying next to a baby with whooping cough.
Charité doctors report permanent overload and pressure.
Students and doctors in training had to take on tasks for which they did not consider themselves qualified or experienced enough.
According to RTL and "Stern", more than half of the 200 or so doctors surveyed in a survey rated the quality of patient care at the Charité as poor or inadequate, only one rated it as very good. In addition, around three out of four doctors said they were unable to treat their patients with the necessary care. A former senior doctor at another clinic spoke of "organizational failure" and "medically intolerable" conditions.
The Charité denies the allegations concerning individual patients: They are "wrong in every respect" and due to medical confidentiality, it cannot comment in detail. The survey cited is not representative. The clinic is an international leader and there have been no reports of overload in the past two years. The research "omits important information and paints a picture of our facility that does not correspond to reality," explains the Charité in a statement.
However, "in individual cases, there may also be temporary overload situations." And with regard to doctors in training, the clinic explains: "Based on its own surveys, the Charité also recognizes a need for further development in some areas and takes this feedback seriously in order to further improve care in the final year of study."
Berlin's Health Senator Ina Czyborra (SPD) has since emphasized that she supports the Charité and announced that the hospital would investigate the allegations. Representatives of the clinic are expected to comment on this in the Science Committee of the Berlin House of Representatives next Monday." [1]
1. Falschdiagnose durch Ärzte trifft fast jeden im Leben. Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (online) Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung GmbH. Sep 17, 2024.
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