Faulty machines are killing hundreds of NHS patients every year, the Institution of Mechanical Engineers’ has said.
Data analysed by the organisation shows that last year there were 14,000 incidents involving faulty medical equipment, resulting in 309 deaths. A further 5,000 patients suffered serious harm.
These incidents related to a range of faulty equipment, including pacemakers and broken scanners. There were even reports of patients being given the incorrect dose of medicine due to inaccurate weighing scales.
In addition to causing direct injury, broken or missing equipment causes thousands of operations to be cancelled every year.
With technology in healthcare becoming increasingly complex, the report recommended that every hospital have a Chief Biomedical Engineer.
Dr Patrick Finlay, lead author of the report and chairman of the Institution of Medical Engineers’ Biomedical Engineering Association, said: “The government and the NHS need to take urgent action to prioritise the role engineers play in hospitals and Trusts.
“Technology is leading to huge advances in healthcare, but this technology is dependent on the work of biomedical engineers who are inadequately recognised and in short supply in most hospitals.”
Incidents relating to faulty equipment should be reported to the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA). Their data shows that:
- In 2012/13 there were 13,642 incidents involving medical devices
- More than one caused a serious injury
- One in 10 related to an orthopaedic implant such as a hip replacement
- One in 20 incident reports was about faulty respiratory or anaesthetic equipment
- Machinery was found to be leaking, cracked, smoking, sparking or had caught fire in more than one in 10 cases
- In six cases the device had been used to treat the wrong body part
- In one in 50 incidents there was a contamination or sterilisation problem
- Three percent of the cases referred to faulty scanners or radiotherapy machinery
- Fewer than 10 percent of incidents prompted the regulator to launch an investigation
- One third of incidents were investigated by the manufacturer of the device
Speak to a solicitor
If negligent medical care has caused you to suffer harm, please get in touch with us to discuss your options.
Share Article With:
|
|
|
|
|
|
