Last year, the University Hospital of Northern Norway (UNN) discovered that a hired substitute doctor had spent a few seconds quality-assuring X-rays. Subsequently, errors were discovered in several of the investigations. According to the hospital, serious errors have been uncovered in 12 out of 560 examinations. Five of these patients have now died, but a review at UNN has not revealed any connection between overlooked X-ray findings and the cause of death. This is stated by the hospital in a press release. – It is a very serious matter which we have been following closely, says acting managing director Snorre Manskow Sollid at the University Hospital of Northern Norway in a press release. UNN has reported the matter to the State Administrator, and the Norwegian Health Inspectorate is following up on the matter further. Acting managing director Snorre Manskow Sollid at the University Hospital of Northern Norway, Snorre Manskow Sollid, says it sees this as a very serious matter. Photo: Mathias Sommerseth Kjellmo / news Has been going on for several years news has been given access to several of the documents in this case. The doctor was responsible for countersigning CT images of, among other things, cancer patients. Nevertheless, he barely spent a few seconds before signing the pictures. This happened over several years, without anyone raising the alarm. The scope would later prove to be large. “This means that you have put patients at risk. Your actions have been going on for a long time and are of a large scale,” writes the Norwegian Health Authority in a letter to the doctor, which news has seen. Now the doctor, in whom the hospital had full confidence, is considered to be a “danger to the safety of the health and care service’. news is aware that the doctor worked 100 per cent at a Nordic hospital when the case against him was opened in Norway. The hospital has now undergone over 500 X-ray examinations which the substitute doctor has checked. Several serious errors were found there. Photo: Sofie Retterstøl Olaisen The alarm went off It was last year that it was discovered internally at UNN that the substitute doctor had spent a few seconds on the last quality check. In the summer of 2023, the first alarm went off. A doctor in radiology at the University Hospital of Northern Norway (UNN) reacted that the radiologist did not make any edits when he signed. The person decided to double check. When reviewing the treatment of his own patients, the doctor discovered that the radiologist had overlooked several images of serious pathology. “In that connection, overlooked pathology had been uncovered, and discovered that NN spent between 7 and 26 seconds on each examination”. The alarm went off in the corridors of Tromsø. The hospital quickly decided to carry out further investigations into the doctor’s use of time. In a review of 87 patient surveys, they reveal something disturbing. “It appears that NN had spent a few seconds on each examination. The longest time spent on these examinations was 1 minute and 52 seconds.” Snorre Manskow Sollid at the X-ray department at UNN. This is where the doctor worked. Photo: Mathias Sommerseth Kjellmo / news No large tumor discovered The report of concern first ended up with the State Administrator in Troms and Finnmark, who after a short time sent the case to the National Health Inspectorate. In December, just a month and a half after the Norwegian Health Authority received the case, they decide to temporarily revoke the doctor’s authorization as a doctor and specialist in radiology. – In general, we can say that in cases where we suspend a doctor’s authorization, it is to safeguard patient safety. These are often cases where the conditions for revocation of authorization have been met, and the health personnel may be a danger to the safety of the health and care service, says Department Director of the State Health Inspectorate, Anne Myhr, to news. In the decision, it appears that the doctor has overlooked serious pathology in several cases. Among other things, it is indicated that the doctor had overlooked a 3.5 cm tumor in the pancreas. The doctor had opened this examination for only 12 seconds, it appears in the decision. At the same time as the Norwegian supervisory authorities have started an investigation into the case, the Swedish Inspektionen för vård och sorgm (IVO) has an ongoing investigation of the doctor, documents news has seen show. Even the hospital the man worked at, the University Hospital of Northern Norway (UNN), denies that the case is due to a routine failure at the hospital. The doctor has no previous cases registered with the Norwegian Health Authority, news has been informed. news has contacted the doctor in question, but he has not yet responded to our inquiries. UNN has uncovered serious errors in 12 out of 560 examinations, carried out by the substitute doctor in the period December 2021 – August 2023. Photo: UNN To review all cases The hospital has now reviewed over 500 X-ray examinations that the substitute doctor has checked. There they found several serious errors. They also chose to take 50 random samples of X-ray examinations where the substitute doctor himself has done the whole job. – Unfortunately, we see poor quality in these and We will therefore review all these cases as well, says Manskow Sollid. After the summer, UNN will examine more than 500 more examinations that the substitute doctor has approved. – It is serious that a doctor who is supposed to do a thorough examination has not done so. There is then a risk that findings will be overlooked that will have an impact on the patient’s treatment, says Sollid to news. But he emphasizes that no such findings have been made so far in the investigation. Have carried out new examinations on the patients Of the seven patients who are still alive, four of them have been followed up with a new CT examination. According to UNN, these investigations have not shown signs that translated X-ray findings have had consequences. – So far there is no indication that translated X-ray findings have had serious consequences, but we will re-examine several investigations in the autumn. It is therefore too early to determine anything for sure, says Manskow Sollid. According to UNN, it has been clarified that the three other patients do not need new examinations. The hospital also states that they have long had capacity problems in the X-ray department, and that they have received external help to check the substitute doctor’s work. Published 30.07.2024, at 10.24 Updated 30.07.2024, at 13.02
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Substitute doctor at UNN sloppy with X-rays – reported to the State Administrator – news Troms and Finnmark
