Lost cancer: 80-year-old woman was left without a bladder after alarming signs of cancer were ignored

A Waikato woman in her 80s was left without a bladder and is in an extremely weak state after two GPs ignored the alarming signs of her cancer for three years.

An oncologist has said that her cancer was likely found three years earlier and that her treatment would have been “relatively simple for a reasonably healthy patient her age” if she had.

Today, the Health and Disability Commission has released a damning report finding that Tui Medical Center and two of its GPs violate the Code of Rights of Consumers of Health Services and the Disabled for repeated failures in the care of women.

“The impact of living without my bladder and the effects of chemotherapy have left me weaker and unable to live the life I had before. I was a fit person who took care of the house and garden, and was the full-time caregiver of my husband who is disabled, “the woman said in the report.

She is not being named for privacy reasons.

Between 2014 and 2017, the woman had several visits to the medical center for blood in the urine. She was treated with antibiotics, even though her urinalysis showed no infection.

The investigation, led by former HDC Commissioner Anthony Hill, found that the woman was not notified of her results and no further follow-up action was taken by the GP.

The woman was not referred for a specialized review of her symptoms until more than three years after her initial consultation, at which point a cystoscopy revealed tumors in her bladder, according to the report.

She underwent multiple surgeries to remove the tumors, bladder, uterus, and lymph nodes before receiving chemotherapy.

The woman filed an ACC treatment injury claim and sought advice from an oncologist, who said the cancer could likely have been detected in 2014 and that if it had been treated it would have been much simpler, according to the report.

The woman has already completed all scheduled treatments and was being monitored for any return of the cancer.

The commissioner criticized a number of failures, including a lack of adequate standard of care, failure to inform the woman of her test results, and a lack of effective cooperation between the GPs who provided care to the woman.

“Doctors have to do the basics: read the notes, ask the questions and talk to the patient,” he said.

“The delay in the diagnosis of the woman with bladder cancer had important consequences for her.”

Hill said the medical center violated the Code by failing to properly review her medical history and adequately follow up on her persistent symptoms, thereby failing to provide services to the woman with reasonable care and skill.

“Since medical practices are less focused on individual medical consultations and more often on the involvement of a multidisciplinary team, attention must be paid to problems that can arise when no doctor assumes overall responsibility for the patient and the need to ensure the continuity of care.

The commissioner recommended:

• The medical center discusses the findings with all employed personnel who were involved in caring for the woman.

• Update your policy for reviewing test results when staff require leave on short notice.

• The medical center should review its processes around providing care to patients who repeatedly present with the same problem.

• Inform HDC about the implementation of the changes you have made.

• Offer the woman a verbal and written apology.

• GP attends Medical Protection Society workshop, reviews HealthPathways guide on urinary symptoms.

One of the GPs at the clinic said in the report: “At the end of it all, there is [a woman in her 80s] that it was done poorly and that is not something any of us can forget. “

“I would like to take this opportunity again to apologize to her and wish her all the best with her ongoing treatment and recovery.”

Tui Medical said in the report that as a result of this incident, it identified areas for improvement and changes had been made, including peer reviews and grade audits; separate urgent care and general practice to allow better continuity of care; and make sure all staff are knowledgeable about urinary tract infection guidelines.

Wrong medication

Another HDC report released today found that a woman living with Parkinson’s suffered panic attacks, blurred vision, and vomiting after a pharmacist administered the wrong medication.

Although the label was correct, the drug was not and she had been taking it for a month before the error was discovered.

In the report, the woman said that the mistake had cost her and her family financial, physical and mental.

Deputy Commissioner Kevin Allan discovered that the prescription drug was not properly verified and another pharmacist was involved for a second verification. This was a violation of the Health and Disability Services Consumer Rights Code.

“As a consequence of the dispensing error, [the woman’s] his health was adversely affected as a result of not taking the correct medication and taking a medication that was not indicated for several weeks before he was notified of the medication error. “

Allan recommended that the pharmacist conduct an audit of his dispensing accuracy and report back to the HDC. He also recommended that the pharmacist offer an apology to the woman and start a near miss record, which she did.