Breast cancer checks may have been inadequate for 300 women at Danish hospital

The number of women who were not sufficiently checked for breast cancer at a Danish hospital may total over 300.

Published: 10 May 2019 13:31 CEST

Breast cancer checks may have been inadequate for 300 women at Danish hospital

File photo: Morten Stricker / Midtjyske Medier / Ritzau Scanpix

The examinations took place at Ringsted Hospital, newspaper Jyllands-Posten reports.

Since February this year, the newspaper has reported on inadequate breast cancer screening at the hospital which took place between 2013 and 2017.

During that period, the hospital overlooked national guidelines by examining women solely by mammography, and without using physical or ultrasound methods, Jyllands-Posten reports.

Re-examinations have resulted in nine diagnoses of breast cancer in addition to that of the woman who was the whistleblower in the case.

Health authority Region Zealand has reviewed the medical records of thousands of women who were potentially subject to inadequate testing before later being diagnosed with the disease.

The issue is known to have affected at least 221 patients, but new examination of records has now shown that number may be as many as 304, the newspaper reports.

Meanwhile, the Danish Patient Safety Authority (Styrelsen for Patientsikkerhed, DPSA) has threatened an injunction against the Region Zealand health authority. The safety agency has said it believes patient safety may have been put at risk.

The Danish Patient Safety Authority has conducted a review of conditions at both Ringsted Hospital and Region Zealand, concluding that legal healthcare guidelines may have been breached at the hospital. That has resulted in the threat of injunction against Region Zealand along with the radiology department at the hospital.

DPSA found that the hospital on a number of occasions decided not to disclose to patients that initial results may have indicated possible breast cancer when calling them in for further diagnostic examinations, in breach of Danish medical law.

The practice has now been changed after DPSA warned it would issue an injunction, Jyllands-Posten writes.

The independent Danish Patient Compensation Association (Patienterstatningen) is to determine whether the affected patients are entitled to reparations.

Vagn Bach, who was director at the Slagelse, Næstved and Ringsted hospitals, has left his position as a result of the controversy surrounding the issue.

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