Sudden Increase in Visibility of Medical Malpractice in the Media?

Prop Trader on 05/07/2023 - 22:12

Has anyone noticed that there is a lot more visibility of medical malpractice in general?

It looks like it took off since the covid vaccine issue, but it could also be people kicking up a stink where nothing exists and the media is grasping onto it so they can gain brownie points.

Seriously, if you made mistakes whilst practicising you should own up to your shit. You are literally putting lives at danger. I have had many issues with doctors and malpractice at both Concord and Canterbury Hospital. Ironically relating to misdiagnosis and general incompetence which is on the rise…

The question I have is why we do not properly train our professionals anymore. Have standards just dropped?

Don't be afraid to speak up against the medical establishment.

Health & Beauty

Comments

  • garetz on 05/07/2023 - 22:30
    +8

    The whole industry has been in a downward spiral since the late 70's. The public system is a training grounds for new doctors who do shit surgeries under the supervision of the tenured doctors who really don't give a shit about you or care if the surgery was successful or not, as long as they get paid. Not to mention doctors keep quiet about other doctors mistakes, its pretty much impossible to prove malpractice because no other doctor is willing to testify to that. Every doctor in their field knows each other and the unwritten rule is you don't dob on each other.

    I had a knee issue for years which was under worker's comp, one of the doctors that the insurance company sent me to told me I need surgery but he cant put that in the report, or the insurer will stop sending him patients to write reports on at 1k a pop. The doctors are biased towards the insurance industry especially in that situation of referrals. I finally saw a specialist 5 years later who admitted my initial surgery failed but would not say so under any kind of legal intervention. Only that I needed to redo the surgery. The whole industry is a scam. its luck of the draw of how good your surgeon is, if they were feeling good the day of the surgery, if they screw up there is no recourse.

    • Motek Benzona on 06/07/2023 - 07:13

      Summed it up nicely. I do not trust the medical profession AT ALL, especially in Qld. You might actually be better off not going to see them.

    • Tech5 on 06/07/2023 - 10:08
      +4

      I'm curious - where should new doctors train?

    • Sinnerator on 07/07/2023 - 08:53

      who would have thought that humans (including doctors who take the hippocratic oath) are sh!t

    • GnarlyKnuckles on 10/07/2023 - 04:55
      +1

      Ok OP, ponder these points:

      A. 'Misdiagnosis' is relatively common in medical practice because guess what … correctly diagnosing every person's condition 100% accurately is impossible. Some members of the public expect doctors to me akin to 'magicians' … but sadly, they are not. Sorry about that.

      B. You personally have had multiple bad experiences, which you (oddly) feel qualified to ascribe to general incompetence by doctors, and have now mounted a 'doctor bashing campaign', and topped it off with this comment:

      'Don't be afraid to speak up against the medical establishment.'

      What, may I respectfully ask, in your estimation is the ratio of good-to-bad outcomes facilitated by Australian doctors? I'd be very interested in your estimation on that. For example, '90% positive:10% negative', or '50% positive:50% negative' (etc*.) … ?

      C. Re:

      'The question I have is why we do not properly train our professionals anymore.'

      What (tf) are you basing this ludicrous assertion on? Medical graduates from the University of Melbourne, Latrobe University, Monash University, the University of Sydney etc. have been required to undertake 7-year courses/learning/subjects of ever-increasing complexity since their inception in order to 'keep pace' with advances in medicine.

      I'm very much looking forward to your responses to the above, OP.

      Bring it

  • 7ekn00 on 05/07/2023 - 22:50

    Um, you do realise errors are a leading cause of death and injury right?

    So why shouldn't it get more visibility?!?

    • GnarlyKnuckles on 10/07/2023 - 05:12

      Yo 7-up, that study pertains solely to the USA, was published 23 years ago, and is based on data dating back 40 years. Please only bring relevant stuff to the table.

      • 7ekn00 on 10/07/2023 - 10:24
        -1

        LOL and you think they have gotten any better? and USA doctors (where all the medical studies used around the world) is not relevant?

        Whatever, go on believing doctors are saints and can do no harm ;)

  • randomusername2017 on 05/07/2023 - 23:05
    +1

    Thirdtime lucky maybe….

  • [Deactivated] on 05/07/2023 - 23:14
    +2

    Sudden Increase in Visibility of Medical Malpractice in the Media?

    Where?

    • ThithLord on 06/07/2023 - 08:23
      +3

      news.com.au of course

      • altomic on 06/07/2023 - 10:43

        the bastion of balanced, indepth, and researched reporting. /extreme sarcasm

  • AustriaBargain on 05/07/2023 - 23:15
    +3

    Malpractice is rife. Until we have ChatGPT-12 monitoring everything each doctor and nurse does I think it's just a fact of life. It's not possible to run an honest medical system. Doctors will accidentally make mistakes, they will negligently make mistakes, they will deliberately make mistakes. And they will often try to cover it up, their manager will help them cover it up, and probably the health minister will help cover it up in the right circumstances. It's a big part of why medical care is so expensive, liability insurance. When your career as health minister is possibly just four years long (if you're lucky) you are more likely to assist in the corruption than end it.

    But putting up with that, even though it ruins lives and careers, is better than not having any medical care at all. It's better than not having a public health system or an option for private health. It's like democracy. The way we do medicine now is the worst way to assist society, except for all the others we've tried in history up until now.

    • ssfps on 06/07/2023 - 03:07

      The way we do medicine now is the worst way to assist society, except for all the others we've tried

      I'd argue there is no real proof of that, just the general assumption that we have it better. Most infectious disease decreased prior to most vaccines being invented, for example. They were already sharply in decline prior to antibiotics becoming widespread. The effectiveness of many blockbuster drugs is/was exaggeraged - like SSRIs when they were new, due to selective releasing of studies demonstrating efficacy and suppressing studies that didn't. Some drugs see swift uptake, then later turn out to have terrible side-effects, such as PPIs and osteoporosis. The government bans certain supplements, or makes access to others hard, despite lack of evidence they are actually harmful. I've had two unnecessary surgeries that I was told at the times were urgent - both times the follow up test results shows they were unnecessary. I've had doctors give me incorrect blood results, which most people probably wouldn't have been anal enough to notice - since most doctors discourage empowering people to own their own health care. I watched a friend go through several rounds of chemo and radiotherapy, and I wonder if they would have been better off with palliative care only and less but more engaging time.

  • mbck on 05/07/2023 - 23:31
    +8

    Incompetence is everywhere. Tradies, lawyers, receptionists, servers, agents (car/real estate), incompetent customers (not reading tnc), etcetc.

    Edit: rba governor, politicians (why is that ex green senator still there?? Well a couple of them shouldn't be there), your co-worker

    • Sinnerator on 07/07/2023 - 08:54

      this guy gets it

  • LVlahov on 06/07/2023 - 00:08
    +5

    A different student cohort, and the massive expansion of tertiary education beyond the cohort that used to be exposed to it, and the shipment in of doctors that were trained outside the West..

    add it all together. Australia does not have magic dirt, when you change the people, you change the results and the practice at least to a degree.

    And for those that will flare up about this, it is reality as it is. Like crime data, medical malpractice rates vary from people to people on a demographic basis. Being honest is the first stage of being able to work towards a true appreciation of why.

    • maeve on 07/07/2023 - 04:41

      Racism is the cure for everything apparently.

  • Vancomycin 1000mg on 06/07/2023 - 00:22
    -3

    Health care providers are underpaid, overworked, understaffed, poorly trained, undervalued.

    A lot of seniors leave because they do not feel comfortable working in a dangerous environment for themselves and patients. As a consequence, juniors are put a deep end to go and learn themselves. They have no support, no guidance and lack knowlege and experience combined with increased workload. Patients suffer as consequences and have poor outcomes.

    Dont fix the issue by bring health professionals from overseas. The standard of healthcare in Australia from India or Nepal is different.

    • AustriaBargain on 06/07/2023 - 00:32
      +5

      If my doctor is so underpaid, why does he drive an AMG GT R? Seems a bit silly for a poor underpaid person to buy such a car. Wouldn't surprise me if the properties he owns are poor choices for someone who is struggling and underpaid.

      • Vancomycin 1000mg on 06/07/2023 - 00:39

        Whilst your doctor may not be underpaid, he is probably overworked.

        A lot malpractices are cascade of events that go unnoticed and unrecognised.

        Im generally speaking at hospital level.

        Community practise is different.

        Eitherway, no patient should be harmed in Australia as a result of poor practise but unfortunately it does.

        • AustriaBargain on 06/07/2023 - 00:51
          +3

          No patient should be harmed, but they do get harmed. And I bet it's low income and disadvantaged patients that are more likely to succumb to pressure to play along with a cover up that affected them. Cover ups help no one, it's the ambulance chasing lawyers who are helping keep medicine honest. Enough payouts will make clinics fire a doctor or force them to go through more training or whatever, insurance premiums and embarrassing headlines can only go far before something has to give.

          • Vancomycin 1000mg on 06/07/2023 - 01:09

            @AustriaBargain: Yes, are you surprised? Private patient has more say in their care. They can decide when they are comfortable to go home. In public, you get left in the corridor or you go home. Have you been to any public ED? Wait times up to 8 hours are the new normal. Speak to politicians to sort the mess out.

          • GnarlyKnuckles on 10/07/2023 - 05:22

            @AustriaBargain: Sigh, god help us. Re this tripe:

            'it's the ambulance chasing lawyers who are helping keep medicine honest'

            If anyone believes or embraces that sentiment at all, we will become a hopelessly litigious society like the USA; then there will be no return after that. I pray that Australians never embrace 'ambulance-chasing lawyers' in any context whatsoever, ever.

            We are better than that.

        • Prop Trader on 08/07/2023 - 22:26

          Bullshit, if you are fatigued, don't turn up to work.

          That's reckless and the incentives for overtime are just ridiculous and need to be phased out.

          • Vancomycin 1000mg on 08/07/2023 - 22:31

            @Prop Trader: Mate, got no extra staff to look after your sick relatives. Someone has to do it.

            • Prop Trader on 08/07/2023 - 22:35

              @Vancomycin 1000mg: Doctors do not need to be a superhero, someone is going to get killed eventually. Doctors really have no conscience if they believe that the economics will not lead to more qualified doctors being trained.

              There is no need to be reckless. A decade ago we had a shortage and that was fixed, or was that not fixed and people just went to rort the overtime? I think it definitely improved.

              Now if doctors just use the overtime excuse, there is no reason to fix the system because the statistical data does not show there is a problem. That's why people are dying because of the decisions doctors are making.

              Don't people realise it. Don't hide it.

              By utilising excessive overtime to patch up delays, it makes the system appear robust when in fact it is not. That's deadly. You can't really hide that data though, and I guess over time you will see which doctors are abusing the system and making massive numbers of mistakes. Don't think the regulator doesn't see this data. You really can't hide it. I trust math, everyday I use it. Base all my decisions on data, including on the vaccines. I bet you guys don't though. Look at the insurance data, increase in excess deaths that cannot be explained, people dying suddenly. That's not a conspiracy theory, that's conspiracy facts. You couldn't even lie to artificial intelligence about it.

              I don't see why doctors can't just look at the facts and understand they have it wrong. Their preventative actions to hold up the system are causing the exact problems they are looking to prevent.

              It is immoral.

              • Vancomycin 1000mg on 08/07/2023 - 22:41
                +2

                @Prop Trader: Bro you are just talking shit. You dont know nothing about health care.

                Doctors are heros, i work with them. I see them save lives every (profanity) day. They are smart, clever and have worked hard for their career. They deserve better. But they are not God. Its up to your own body to respond to treatment.

                Its (profanity) stressful everyday of the week.

                If you are anti medicine, dont go to GP, dont go to hospital. Dont blame healthcare providers for your own bullshit.

                • Prop Trader on 08/07/2023 - 22:42
                  -2

                  @Vancomycin 1000mg: Lol, you clearly are indoctrinated and don't trust the real science.

                  Apply some common sense and you will see through the veil.

                  Who would go back to the medical system if they have been burnt once and almost died? Is that a clown world? It's like when you take one vaccine and you get injured, but then you go get another one because your workplace said you need to be fully vaccinated.

                  It's that ideology which is bent into the medical system and medical professionals like yourself.

                  Doctors are not heroes if they are manipulating the system and a majority are. You can't just defend them because you think the norm is good. How often do you tell your patients about side effects? Almost Never, that's why.

                  That needs to bloody change now.

                  Then you have the alternative media bitching about how bad the doctors are. Well guess what, it's how they were trained. You even have professionals like yourself who actually think you are on the right side of the law. The law should be changed to protect the citizens of Australia. Everyone needs those protections.

                  You can't go prescribe some offlabel bullshit that no other doctor would prescribe just because you are fatigued. That's immoral. Especially when you have the ability to prevent yourself from going into the hospital/clinic when you are fatigued….

                  Never forget, Never forgive. Many people died needlessly.

                  Even if you are a nurse, you should be telling the patient about the side effects if your supervising doctor is not. That's needs to be reformed now. Double check the insert on the medication, does it align with the effect you want?

                  Health Law as it currently stands does not protect the patient. I should know, it just removes some incompetent clowns, but the rest can continue on until someone actually dies.

                  • Vancomycin 1000mg on 08/07/2023 - 22:58

                    @Prop Trader: I think you are confusing medicine vs legislation.

                    Doctors don't make the rules. Politicians do.

                    You have every right to refuse treatment in all health care facilities and make informed decisions.

                    You are confused

                    • Prop Trader on 08/07/2023 - 23:05
                      -2

                      @Vancomycin 1000mg: Yeah I got beef with the transparency and the current rules in place.

                      Doctors are following the rules in place but are causing needless deaths because the system allows for it. It's immoral in my opinion. I have my suspicions on why it happens.

                      Everyone where possible needs to have the medical insert read to them (or at least a condensed version of the severe effects), people need to be aware that they have that right, but the blind faith put into doctors is what drives the current outcomes. It usually isn't until someone gets a vaccine injury or near death experience that they speak up.

                      However, it is already too late for those who are just entering the hospital system right now. They have no informed consent.

                      A well rested doctor is a good doctor.

                      How do we get to a position of informed consent? That is a mindfield itself, but it starts with educating ourselves, so we don't end up as a number. Damn, for me, if they read the description of the medication; what it's intended use was, damn, I wouldn't have taken it. It would have never happened.

                      That is why I believe that protocol needs to be changed, simple stuff… Nurses can fix it for us.

                    • GnarlyKnuckles on 10/07/2023 - 05:33

                      @Vancomycin 1000mg: Re:

                      'You have every right to refuse treatment in all health care facilities'

                      I whole-heartedly agree with this 100% correct statement, and encourage anyone with a distrust of the 'medical system' to adopt this stance.

                      I am a firm believer in the power of natural selection to improve the mental and physical capacities of species.

                      • Motek Benzona on 10/07/2023 - 06:44

                        @GnarlyKnuckles: Funny that.. so am I, but for different reasons! … I hope YOU die to thin the herd before anyone you are suggesting dies just because they think the medical profession is in a shambles. and hope it is in pain too…because you were wishing people dead just now yes? I got it right hey?

                • GnarlyKnuckles on 10/07/2023 - 05:25

                  @Vancomycin 1000mg: WORD, bro.

  • EightImmortals on 06/07/2023 - 06:24
    +2

    Medical malfeasance?

    Nahhh, patients are baffled!

    Here's an interesting recent doco from an Aussie and what they did to her husband after being admitted for dehydration.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zm_iY1Skvg4

    Anyway, don't get me started…….

  • Ocker on 06/07/2023 - 07:51
    +1

    That do they call a medical student that finishes in the bottom quartile at uni.? - a G.P.

    • downbythecreek on 06/07/2023 - 14:05
      +1

      They were still in the top whatever % of achievers to get into medicine in the first place though.

  • kizzy on 06/07/2023 - 07:57
    +2

    I spent a bit of time in hospital recently. There are quite a few good doctors and nurses who give you confidence, but I did feel like a large percentage of medical professionals there were just down right stupid. Don't know if it's a training thing or just a general population thing. But idk, maybe I'm stupid.

    • GnarlyKnuckles on 10/07/2023 - 05:38

      Erm, Kizbit, could you perhaps actually state what it was that these 'medical professionals' actually did that led you to conclude that they were 'down right stupid'? Your comment is essentially meaningless otherwise.

  • ForkSnorter on 06/07/2023 - 08:13
    -1

    Only specialist doctors really know what they're talking about. And even then, only about one in 3 is really reliable and knowledgable. The rest are straight out of training and still learning.

    Unfortunately, the first person you have to see if you have a medical condition is a non-specialist GP. Hopefully you know a good one, otherwise could waste a bit of time.

    • leiiv on 06/07/2023 - 11:25
      +2

      The whole system need to be revolutionised, from the education, practice, association, to public health.

      • EightImmortals on 06/07/2023 - 12:04

        Here's a quick history lesson for the last 100 years of medicine and what happened.

        https://odysee.com/@corbettreport:0/rockefeller-medicine:de

        Of course the longer history of establishment medicine isn't exactly encouraging either given they knew the cure for scurvy for 200 years before admitting it publicly, ridiculing the person who suggested that washing your hands and equipment between surgeries might be a good idea and a host of others things now taken for granted.

        Thank God for individual doctors who are willing to speak out against the herd.

    • GnarlyKnuckles on 10/07/2023 - 05:47

      Yo FurckSnorer, re:

      'Only specialist doctors really know what they're talking about.'

      That is an absolute crock of sh&t. What do you think med students spend 7 years studying? The misguided disparaging crap being cavalierly bandied around in this thread is astonishing.

  • orangetrain on 06/07/2023 - 08:24

    Admin wants medical staff at pre-covid wages while demanding medical staff to cover periods of lack of staff. They are also big fans of supporting "skilled shortages" bullshit and want to bring in overseas medical staff. Government doesn't care as they have that special private health insurance for free that you can only get if you pay through the nose.

  • RandomNinja on 06/07/2023 - 10:00
    +1

    The AHPRA news section features articles about disqualified or suspended health practitioners… https://www.ahpra.gov.au/News.aspx

    I have mixed feelings about this case, didn't feel like the consequences were a sufficient deterrent…
    https://www.ahpra.gov.au/News/2023-04-06-Practitioner-who-in…

    • EightImmortals on 06/07/2023 - 12:06

      Who cares about the kid, Ahpra scored 15 grand!

    • GordonD on 06/07/2023 - 13:02

      I went to the medical practice I normally do, but my normal GP was booked solid for three weeks. So I agreed to be seen by another GP who wasn't busy because, as the receptionist warned me, he was "under restriction, he is not allowed to be alone with anyone under 18". Within 5 minutes he had diagnosed a medical condition that two previous GPs and a very highly paid hospital emergency room doctor had said they had been stumped by, and were going to refer me to the wrong specialist about. He showed that Chat-GP would have gotten to that diagnosis on the first consultation, because it wouldn't have been outside an AI's area of expertise and experience like is the case of a human who can only know a lot about a small area of knowledge.

      • [Deactivated] on 06/07/2023 - 13:19

        Save your pennies & cut out the middle-person & go straight to Chat-GP online yourself

        • EightImmortals on 06/07/2023 - 14:29
          +1

          First I've heard of it. :)

          (Or did you mean chat GPT?)

          • [Deactivated] on 06/07/2023 - 16:05
            +1

            @EightImmortals: One day, whilst multi-tasking a conference call & OzB, I'll respond 'bikies' on the conference call !

  • tmcn85 on 06/07/2023 - 11:26

    No 1 cause of death.

  • GordonD on 06/07/2023 - 13:13

    The human body and all the things that can go wrong with it is so complicated and so big an area of knowledge that no single human being can know a lot about any more than a small area of it. And they can only diagnose something as being something in their area of expertise and experience. So it inevitable that the best fitting thing they know isn't what it actually is, it is something outside their area of expertise and experience. And they get it wrong, and treat it wrong. The trick these days is first identifying what area of expertise and experience is most likely to be the right one. The medical profession is increasingly going to need AI's ability to store and access a far wider range of medical knowledge than any single doctor can.

    • GnarlyKnuckles on 10/07/2023 - 05:56

      This is absolute bullsh&t Gordon, because > 90% of peeps who visit a GP for a medical problem have something very simple like a staph infection of the skin, 'strep throat', an uncomplicated respiratory infection, or they are bringing their kid in because they have worms or the like.

  • Cluster on 06/07/2023 - 16:34

    It's just a cyclical trend in what the media is interested in, and they'll spend weeks banging on about the same topic day after day.

    In the early 2000s it was the obstetrician insurance crisis. ABC news couldn't stop reporting on it every day for weeks. And then the subject disappears and everyone moves onto the next one.

  • altomic on 06/07/2023 - 16:37

    Just call 1800-DOCTORB. The B is for bargain

  • Prop Trader on 06/07/2023 - 20:39
    -5

    Well I wasn't really going to post this, but yeah I was almost killed a few years ago because of incompetence…

    I won't comment much but a few years ago, pre-covid I was almost died because of the incompetence of doctors. Basically I had some type of seizure due to the medication that was prescribed off-label. After this incident I now take very good care of myself, using masks even though peer reviewed studies state they have minimal protective effect, paying close attention to food safety issues, being skeptical of the whole medical system, not taking vaccines. I can't remember the last time I used the medicare system but it has been at least over 5 years and counting.

    I now know why the whole covid thing went the way it did because of the way the Australian medical system trains the doctors. It's a whole bloody mess. It's quantity over quality. We should have legislation invoked to have doctors jailed for misconduct. Australia is really soft on this type of medical white collar crime.

    If a doctor has been suspended, it is usually not just one incident, but a long list of complaints. If it were only one incident, it would have to be so severe that it really put a patient's life at risk.

    So, my question is why people think they have a right to practice medicine. You don't have that right, especially if you are acting recklessly by taking overtime to boost your income. You cannot just not turn up if you are not rostered in, there is no way in hell I'm going to believe the shit some people come up with to get sympathy. Don't bloody turn up if you are fatigued. No excuses. Absolute Clown World!

    No other profession you can get away with that.

    If there are delays in waiting times, that will be reflected into the system and it will autocorrect itself as politicians allocate extra funding. You don't need to go think you are some stupid superhero and put people's lives in danger. This applies to a majority of the doctors in the hospital system. Don't do it. It's dumb.

    The system is working as expected if you got suspended. Alright? Get it?

    People rely on you to get it right, bloody heck. How many times are the side effects of medication disclosed to the patient? Almost never, that needs to change now. The idiotic thing is that most doctors will try to cover their asses and state they told the patient when we all bloody know it never happens. That applies to GPs as well, liars.

    As I finish, I will recommend a major meme that has originated since the covid times, "Doctors Lied, People Died".

    Safe and Effective eh? Yeah right, get a clue.

    • Shitforbrains on 06/07/2023 - 21:07

      What was the medication that caused your seizure? I would like to steer clear of it.

    • SydStrand on 06/07/2023 - 21:56

      Guys, I found the new SlavOz

      • [Deactivated] on 07/07/2023 - 17:50

        new ?

  • Prop Trader on 08/07/2023 - 22:22
    -4

    BTW Offlabel is a euphemism for "sucked in you can't prove we prescribed the wrong thing". Well guess what the statistical data for prescribing medication doesn't lie. Independent expert witnesses will uncover the lies.

    You can't cover up anything.

    I guess the doctors here on ozbargain are running scared shitless and have downvoted the comments to oblivion.

    You are just lucky we don't have a DPP that is looking to prosecute incompetence, but for how long will that remain?

    Good luck prescribing some medication that less than 0.001% of others doctors would prescribe.

    Suspended, that's where that will get you. lmao.

    • Shitforbrains on 09/07/2023 - 01:18

      What was the medication and what was it prescribed for?

      • Prop Trader on 09/07/2023 - 10:01

        It was many years ago. Pre-covid…

        I might have to go find out what exactly they prescribed, but at the time I sought an extra medical opinion before filing that complaint. I'm sure that doctor still has that information.

        I would be lying if I said I could still recall the name of the medication. Furthermore, it is probably not the medication itself that is a problem; I'm sure it works if it were used to treat the condition that it does, it was the misuse of the medication.

  • Prop Trader on 09/07/2023 - 09:58
    +1

    Overall, the system cannot be changed. It's screwed. The best we can do is inform others to make better decisions.

    Ensure those on the ground are doing the right thing and that's about all that can be done.

    Voting for new politicians isn't going to do anything. The laws won't change because they are lax to protect vested interests. It is never going to be about the health of the public. That's all a charade.

    • GnarlyKnuckles on 10/07/2023 - 06:06

      Take my advice poop-man. Stop attempting to issue advice. If you dig any deeper, you will 'hit lava'.

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