What Kind of Problem Must a Hospital Have to Call So Many Still-Living Patients “Dead”?

OMG... I mean I can't imagine how terrifying that must have been for those family members to hear that news. I wonder when they heard that everything was fine with their family members? It just seems like there should be some safeguard in DOUBLE CHECKING news like that before you blast it out there.

 

I'd just say the hospital staff was both irresponsible and lazy. First before writing a death notice you have to ascertain that a patient is dead. A doctor must actually confirm that the person is dead and note down the time of death. Once that is done, a list of dead people can then be compiled and then the death notices are written and sent to the relatives or family members [of the deceased].

They certainly have no excuse of their embarrassing mistake.

 

Well, the good thing is that it was only a paper error. Let's look at the big picture, the people are still alive, and that's the main issue.
It's far worse when surgeons are making continuous fatal errors, such as in the case of "Doctor Death", Jayant Patel, who killed 13 people with his surgical blunders, and maimed and disfigured hundreds of others in Queensland, Australia. Even his colleagues called him "Doctor Death", and nurses were so alarmed by his conduct that they hid patients from him. But after eight years and three trials which cost A$3.5m (£1.98m), the US surgeon flew out of Australia, convicted only of fraud – and planning to “go back to my work”.

 

I'm surprised that the families were so understanding. You know how litigious Americans are. If this had happened here in America, all the families would be suing the hospital for emotional distress.