Last night on the CBC's National, there was a profoundly disturbing report by investigative reporter Diana Swain outlining how a nurse from Ontario, Rose Mckenzie, while working in California, was grossly negligent in her care of Spencer Sullivan, who had undergone a routine surgery for neck pain. As a result of McKenzie's negligence, Sullivan was left a quadriplegic with brain damage.
The most disturbing part of the report is the fact that although she was stripped of her nursing licence in the U.S., she is now working as a nurse in Oakville, the problem being that self-disclosure of any past problems is the only way the Ontario College of Nurses could have become aware of the loss of her licence. Obviously, McKenzie did not self-disclose.
Click here to read the whole report and see the CBC news video.
P.S. Despite the Harper Regime's hatred of the CBC, such reports amply demonstrate its value.
Swain's report was superb. How do I start an online petition to go to Dalton McGuinty and Stephen Harper regarding the need for a federal/provincial govt body to force all medical professionals and hospitals to reveal and share information on malpractice cases? Such people and institutions should never be permitted to regulate or discipline themselves. Outside supervision is absolutely essential and needs to be mandatory.
ReplyDeleteMaryleah Otto
Gravenhurst, Ontario
Hi Maryleah,
ReplyDeleteMy thought is that the best approach is to first alert as many people to the report as possible, followed by letters to the Premier, the Minister of Health, and your local MPP. The more people who know about this, the better.
Then, if nothing arises from those efforts, I think your idea of an online petition should be explored.
I have just completed a letter to Deb Matthews, Ontario's Minister of Health. I will post it shortly.
Clearly there was a problem with lack of knowledge and experience on the part of this nurse and lack of accountability. Should medical professionals be the only ones under question? Where do we stop? Teachers can have records of assault, drugs possession, etc. Accountants could have a police record. Do police not move after accounts of questionable behavior? How much would this cost if we pursue external regulation of each profession. The College of Nurses should ensure a previous license to practice was in good standing. The hospital should have looked into employment references and questioned gaps in practice if she was not working. Another regulating body is not what healthcare needs. It leads to analysis-paralysis where lots of highly paid people do very little to change anything as they do not understand the business of healthcare.
ReplyDeleteWhile I agree that the hospital should have done a much better job of vetting Nurse McKenzie's previous job experience, I'm not sure that a new level of regulation is required, but merely a better co-ordination of information-sharing. As reported in today's Star (Mar.11), the College of Physicians and Surgeons notifies all regulatory bodies in Canada, the U.S., and some other countries whenever there is a finding that affects the licence of an Ontario doctor. Surely something similar could be done with the College of Nurses.
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