The North Medical Service recently noticed an increase in treatment errors: 260 times doctors did not do their job properly.
Experts from the Nord Medical Service (MD) confirmed 260 treatment errors in Schleswig-Holstein and Hamburg last year. That corresponds to 29 percent of all valid allegations (2020: 27 percent), as MD Nord reported on Thursday. For the second year in a row, the number of gross errors in treatment contained in it increased: these 80 cases were incomprehensible from the point of view of experts and violated elementary principles.
Typical example: After umbilical hernia surgery, the patient’s wound healed superficially. After being discharged from the hospital, he constantly suffered from stomach pains, reported frequent visits to the doctor and could not work. Gastrointestinal problems are thought to be the cause.
A year later, he pulled a small metal, curved needle from a new focus of inflammation in the area of the scar and showed it to his family doctor. Only then did the inflammation heal without further complications.
Insurers in Schleswig-Holstein and Hamburg reported 3,073 suspicious cases through their health insurance last year. Of these, 898 proved to be valid from the expert’s point of view. Finally, 260 medical errors were confirmed; Of that, 25.4 percent was found in trauma and orthopedic surgeries. They were followed by nursing with 20.4 percent, dentistry with 11.2 percent and gynecology with 7.7 percent. There was no breakdown by state.