Central Health officials announced last Thursday they were conducting an investigation into the reports after they identified at least six instances in which the image reports were based on previous tests rather than the most recent.
"The purpose of the review is to ensure that patient reports are based on the correct and most recent image," said Karen McGrath, Chief Executive Officer with Central Health. "While we are still in the early stages of the review and over the next number of days will be confirming additional information, such as the number of reports that will need to be reviewed, we do feel it is important to inform people that this investigation is ongoing and to outline our process for the public."
The investigation involves some reports produced by two visiting radiologists during the periods of October through December 2010, May and June 2011 and July through September 2011.
While officials were hopeful they would know by this week how many reports may need to be reviewed, the actual number of patients who may have received inaccurate reports won't be made public until the investigation is complete.
"We actually have no idea at this particular point in time (how many there are)," Ms. McGrath said last Friday. "What we have to do is take all the images that these physicians actually reported on and we have to determine whether there was a comparitor or whether there was no comparitor. If there's only one test, obviously they had to report on the correct test. So that's what has to be done, and we actually have to go through that process to develop the database."
That database will allow the organization to identify the number of reports that will need review. It was expected this information would be known by Nov. 7. Patients and their physicians who had images included in this review process were to be notified within 10 days.
Once the number of reports that need to be reviewed has been finalized, all of these reports will be reviewed by a radiologist to ensure the reports are based on the correct images.
Ms. McGrath said the implications of having a diagnosis based on an earlier rather than current test range from a patient receiving treatment for a condition which didn't actually exist to not receiving treatment for one which did.
“What it could mean is that an individual had the wrong image read and they had an intervention based on a wrong image.” - Karen McGrath, CEO with Central Health
"What it could mean is that an individual had the wrong image read and they had an intervention based on a wrong image," she said. "So either (there was) no intervention because something was not seen, or a wrong intervention based on what was reported."
Ms. McGrath said part of the investigation will focus on finding out how the errors were made in the first place.
"We actually don't know at this particular point," she said. "That will be part of the review to actually determine how this occurred."
Diagnostic imaging is a term given to tests such as ultrasounds, x-rays, MRIs and CT scans. Ms. McGrath is not encouraging patients who may have had diagnostic imaging tests conducted during the time frames in question to rush to their doctors unless the health concerns they had at that time are continuing.
"We certainly want the public to be informed, but we would only be telling you to contact your doctor if the symptoms that you had that actually suggested that you get the diagnostic image in the first place continue," she said. "For example, if you had an x-ray and it said your arm was broken, and that was a year ago, and now you're feeling no symptoms, there's no need for you to contact your physician. If you had something else and your symptoms have not abated, then you do need to go see your family physician."
Ms. McGrath said individuals will be notified if they're included in the review.
"In this organization, we are paying very close attention to quality and patient safety. When issues such as this one come up, we will search until we find the answers - that is our commitment," she said. "The public can expect that we will tell them about what we are doing and what we find. At this point in time, this is the most up-to-date and accurate information that we have. When we know more, we will advise the public."
Central Health is encouraging individuals with questions or concerns to call the Newfoundland and Labrador Health Line at 1-888-709-2929 (TTY 1-888-709-3555) or contact their physician.
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