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Headlines and deadlines

Adverse events hit 377, reveals Commission

The Health Quality and Safety Commission has revealed that 377 serious and sentinel events occurred in New Zealand’s public hospitals in 2010/2011 – a rate of more than one a day.

The report, Making Our Hospitals Safer – Serious and Sentinel Events 2010/2011, reveals that of the 377 events reported, 86 patients died, although not necessarily as a result of the adverse event that occurred.

A serious or sentinel event has, or has the potential to result in, serious lasting disability or death not related to the natural course of the patient’s illness or underlying condition.

Professor Alan Merry urges health professionals to familiarise themselves with the report’s findings

According to the figures, 195 falls were reported as serious and sentinel events in 2010/11, while 25 medication errors were reported. There were also 108 clinical management incidents, which included:

  • Delays in responding to a patient’s condition
  • Poor communication
  • Delayed diagnoses.

Commission chair, Professor Alan Merry, urges health professionals to familiarise themselves with the report’s findings and to look at how they can make the services they provide safer for patients.

Professor Merry reflects on the report in more depth in "Safe care through strong systems" in this edition of Casebook.

www.hqsc.govt.nz

Workshop series a big hit

MPS’s Essential Risk Management Workshop Series has proved extremely popular with members in New Zealand.

Launched in 2009, by the end of 2011 over 160 workshops had taken place, with a total attendance of more than 2,800.

Feedback from members has been excellent. The figures in the table below show the percentage of attendees who agreed or strongly agreed with each statement.

Workshop worthwhile attending
Recommend to a colleague
Consider further MPS activities
Will change practice as a result
95% 95% 95% 84%

The series now has four workshops:

  • Mastering Your Risk
  • Mastering Adverse Outcomes
  • Mastering Professional Interactions
  • Mastering Difficult Interactions with Patients.

A new workshop, Mastering Shared Decision Making, is to be launched later this year. More details can be found here.

Recertification programme for doctors registered in a general scope of practice

The New Zealand Medical Council, in partnership with Bpacnz Ltd, has issued a guide to the recertification programme.

The guide, In Practice: Bpacnz Recertification Programme for Doctors Registered in a General Scope, aims to provide doctors registered in a general scope of practice with a framework for their continuing professional development.

The guide aims to provide doctors registered in a general scope of practice with a framework for their continuing professional development

The Council will use the programme to ensure doctors are competent and practising within the scope of their registration.

More information on the Bpacnz Recertification Programme can be found online atwww.inpractice.org.nz.

A fond farewell to Dr Aine McCoy

Dr Aine McCoy has bid MPS farewell after nine years as a medical consultant based in the Wellington office.

“I have thoroughly enjoyed being part of the MPS team both in New Zealand and internationally and I value the friendships I have made over the years,” says Aine.

“It has been a rewarding experience dealing with our members and providing assistance during what was, for some, a very stressful time in their professional careers.”

Aine now intends to concentrate on her busy general practice and her golf handicap.

It has been a rewarding experience dealing with our members and providing assistance

Correction

In the article “Prescribing phentermine” (Casebook 20(1), January 2012), the standard daily dose is 30mg daily, not 30mg twice daily as stated. We are sorry for any misunderstandings caused by this error.

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