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Do I make a complaint about a Dr??
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By (user no longer on site) OP
over a year ago
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I was in hospital yesterday for another op on my ear. The op went ok, ear obviously sore so I asked for painkillers. Now I have a mantra that I tell all health professionals. I'm allergic to penicillin and all non steroidal anti inflammatory's ie ibubrofen etc. Had the tablets and didn't think anything about how weird I was feeling as I put it down to the anaesthetic and morphine directly after the op. Came home and looked at my discharge notes. The complete idiot of an SHO Dr had prescribed me ibubrofen. Luckily I didn't bring any tablets home with me as I had got co codamol here.
My quandary is do I report this Dr for not reading my notes properly ( he'd noted my penicillin allergy down) which could have been potentially very serious, or do I just leave it as everyone makes a mistake? (The tablets I had taken on the ward were ibubrofen and I have had a reaction to them, just a mild one thank goodness). |
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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago
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You report it!
Yes they make mistakes but those mistakes can kill people.
SHOs can work stupidly long hours and the mistake might be genuine but it could also just be lazy.
My first husband was a medic, and then qualified so I know how hard they work. But my second was a stroke victim who died of cancer. So I've had a lot to do with doctors over the years. |
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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago
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I would ask to speak to the Dr concerned and allow them a chance to atone for this misunderstanding....
However if that conversation didn't placate your concerns you could then look into officially reporting the matter.  |
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Definitely report it. How far you take the complaint is up to you though but just by reporting it someone will have a word in his ear and it could stop him making a serious mistake with someone else.
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By (user no longer on site) OP
over a year ago
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"You report it!
Yes they make mistakes but those mistakes can kill people.
SHOs can work stupidly long hours and the mistake might be genuine but it could also just be lazy.
My first husband was a medic, and then qualified so I know how hard they work. But my second was a stroke victim who died of cancer. So I've had a lot to do with doctors over the years."
That's what I was thinking....I'm worried that this could happen again with dire consequences for someone. I was lucky but the next person might not be. Thanks for your input  |
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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago
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It would be hard to have a word in his ear as suggested. You don't have to be unpleasant about it, just make the point that he needs to be more careful. You could do it at your follow up appt, or phone the consultant's secretary on Monday |
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You won't be able to talk to the doctor. Go to PALS, they will take up your complaint for you and sort it out.
Before your surgery, you will have been asked for any allergies and it would have been documented in your notes. Some trusts put a warming type name band on and before giving you the drugs, should have checked all that and asked you.
An allergy causes anaphylaxis which has the potential to be fatal. Were you experiencing that or one of the known side effects of the drug? |
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make the complaint in writing......someone else might have more serious side effects next time.
I'm surprised the administering nurse didn't pick it up so not just one person to blame and they can't fix a system they don't know is flawed |
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By (user no longer on site) OP
over a year ago
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"You won't be able to talk to the doctor. Go to PALS, they will take up your complaint for you and sort it out.
Before your surgery, you will have been asked for any allergies and it would have been documented in your notes. Some trusts put a warming type name band on and before giving you the drugs, should have checked all that and asked you.
An allergy causes anaphylaxis which has the potential to be fatal. Were you experiencing that or one of the known side effects of the drug?"
Yes I had a red wrist band for allergies. I don't think I would have felt this strongly if it had been a first or even second op....but thus was the 14th procedure on my ear in 4 yrs. No I don't think it was a side effect of the drug I was experiencing, I felt quite breathless and itchy but put that down to the anaesthetic. It was only when I got home and realised that I'd been given ibubrofen that it made sense how I was feeling. I also experienced 'pins and needles' on my hands and feet. Luckily I had some anti histamine in and the symptoms have started to go now. I think I'll have to go through Pals as I don't know if the SHO was attached to my consultant. Will ring his secretary on Monday to find out.
Thanks for all your replies. sez xx
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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago
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You should let the consultants Secretary know and they will run it as in internal investigation to see why it happened and what systems need changing. Formally going through pals etc actually has serious consequences for the person involved. The fact is hospital systems in place ensure this doesn't happen, and it's not that SHO's fault alone. The nurse giving you the drugs, the computer systems used to order and the pharmacists in hospital dispensing them all need to check. Hence it's a system failure not one single persons fault. Reporting it against that one individual initiates very unpleasant wheels in motion (including suspension without pay until the investigation is completed). But all too often all we see is the doctor or nurse and all system failures are felt to be their fault.
Secondly, I assume you did take it, which means you have an intolerance and not an allergy. NSAIDs can cause upset stomachs (even ulcers) , feeling of nausea etc but these are side effects. Some individuals are more prone to these, hence intolerance. An allergy is different where you mount an immediate inflammatory response, similar to people with nut allergies. Penicillin is frequently quoted as an allergy, whereas 60% of those who state this have an intolerance (were sick after it, had a minor rash (which can happen, particularly if you took antibiotics when you actually had a viral infection) or loose motions). However, stating this as an allergy means that you deny yourself a massive group of antibiotics, which for most infections are the best and can be lifesaving. Would strongly advise anyone with a Penicillin allergy to confirm this formally with their GP. |
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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago
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"You won't be able to talk to the doctor. Go to PALS, they will take up your complaint for you and sort it out.
Before your surgery, you will have been asked for any allergies and it would have been documented in your notes. Some trusts put a warming type name band on and before giving you the drugs, should have checked all that and asked you.
An allergy causes anaphylaxis which has the potential to be fatal. Were you experiencing that or one of the known side effects of the drug?
Yes I had a red wrist band for allergies. I don't think I would have felt this strongly if it had been a first or even second op....but thus was the 14th procedure on my ear in 4 yrs. No I don't think it was a side effect of the drug I was experiencing, I felt quite breathless and itchy but put that down to the anaesthetic. It was only when I got home and realised that I'd been given ibubrofen that it made sense how I was feeling. I also experienced 'pins and needles' on my hands and feet. Luckily I had some anti histamine in and the symptoms have started to go now. I think I'll have to go through Pals as I don't know if the SHO was attached to my consultant. Will ring his secretary on Monday to find out.
Thanks for all your replies. sez xx
"
All the symptoms you've described are common side effects following an anaesthetic but more importantly the intra operative opiate you were given and not due to the ibuprofen. |
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By (user no longer on site) OP
over a year ago
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"You should let the consultants Secretary know and they will run it as in internal investigation to see why it happened and what systems need changing. Formally going through pals etc actually has serious consequences for the person involved. The fact is hospital systems in place ensure this doesn't happen, and it's not that SHO's fault alone. The nurse giving you the drugs, the computer systems used to order and the pharmacists in hospital dispensing them all need to check. Hence it's a system failure not one single persons fault. Reporting it against that one individual initiates very unpleasant wheels in motion (including suspension without pay until the investigation is completed). But all too often all we see is the doctor or nurse and all system failures are felt to be their fault.
Secondly, I assume you did take it, which means you have an intolerance and not an allergy. NSAIDs can cause upset stomachs (even ulcers) , feeling of nausea etc but these are side effects. Some individuals are more prone to these, hence intolerance. An allergy is different where you mount an immediate inflammatory response, similar to people with nut allergies. Penicillin is frequently quoted as an allergy, whereas 60% of those who state this have an intolerance (were sick after it, had a minor rash (which can happen, particularly if you took antibiotics when you actually had a viral infection) or loose motions). However, stating this as an allergy means that you deny yourself a massive group of antibiotics, which for most infections are the best and can be lifesaving. Would strongly advise anyone with a Penicillin allergy to confirm this formally with their GP. "
Thanks for your reply. My allergy to penicillin means that I swell up everywhere so I seriously can't take it I'm afraid. The allergy to the non steroidal anti inflammatory is a hives rash that covers me totally so again I really can't take them. I can't even use things like deep heat cream as the same thing happens. As I said I luckily only took 2 so the reaction wasn't too bad, especially after taking anti histamines.
I totally understand what you are saying about it being a system fault and will convey that when I talk to my consultants secretary. Again I really appreciate everyone's input. sez xxx |
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I would not automatically jump to make that complaint. It may be the final straw that stops his family from having money to eat etc. I would communicate with him, and decide what he was really up to, and what his attitude is like. |
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You say you 'had the tablets'
Where did you have them ?
Who gave them to you ?
Did you say 'What are these ? '
Do you have any responsibility for taking the tablets without checking what they were ? |
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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago
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Could have been a lot worse.
Make a full blown complaint.
Little errors can cause serious problems.
His next mistake may not be as fortunate as you were. |
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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago
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"Could have been a lot worse.
Make a full blown complaint.
Little errors can cause serious problems.
His next mistake may not be as fortunate as you were."
In fact you should also track him down and smash up their property, cause bodily harm to them and take them to court for causing you psychological harm to a point where you can't eat anything because your scared of what it might do to you.....NOT
As I said earlier, lodging individual complaints leads to blaming that one person for everything. In actual fact that is not the case and it is a system failure. As mentioned by a poster, each individual has a responsibility for their own health, which you obviously do as you checked what you were given and stopped accordingly.
Informing the healthcare provider of the error leads to processes which identify the problem and prevent a near miss like this to becoming a true adverse event. Obviously if this SHO can make the mistake then there are system flaws so others can make them too. This way you try to prevent this happening to everyone.
A local complaint against the individual assumes it was their error of judgement (which it wasn't) and does not make the system any better for everyone else. |
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