http://news.scotsman.com/health/Warning-for-medics-over-blaming.4384832.jp

Warning for medics over blaming deaths on C.diff

 13 August 2008 

By ADAM MORRIS
JUNIOR doctors have been warned about recording a superbug on death
certificates after Lothian hospitals reported the highest C.difficile
death toll in Scotland.

The ERI's clinical director, Dr Casey Stewart, has written to
newly-qualified medics warning them to be more careful about marking
the infection as the cause of death. 

He says mistakes have exaggerated the level of C.diff in Lothian
hospitals aADVERTISEMENT nd risked upsetting relatives unnecessarily. 

But the move has raised concerns that junior doctors will now be
afraid to record incidences of the superbug.

In a memo to junior doctors, Dr Stewart warned: "What has come to
light is that junior doctors are putting on cremation certification
C.diff infection when this has not been the cause of death or has been
sometime in the past. This obviously gives false leading figures as to
the prevalence of C.diff and can be upsetting to relatives.

"Obviously where C.diff is the cause of death this needs to be
recorded. Thus I would be grateful if consultants could discuss with
their junior staff to improve the quality of death certification."

NHS Lothian recorded more deaths blamed on C.diff – 40 – than any
other health board in Scotland in 2006. The number has since fallen
dramatically to one of the lowest rates in the country. Health chiefs
are known to have been annoyed by the earlier figures, believing other
health boards have been less stringent in recording incidences.

A junior doctor – who wished to remain anonymous – said: "While the
paragraph was carefully worded, the message was clear, and has had the
desired effect – junior doctors are now afraid to note C.diff on
certificates for fear of the consequences to their careers."

Dr Charles Saunders, chairman of the BMA's Scottish Consultants
Committee, said: "It is totally unacceptable for junior doctors to be
given the impression that they may get into trouble with their
employer if C.difficile is the cause of death and that is what they
put on the death certificate."

Graziella Kontkowski, the founder of the C.diff Support Group, added:
"It's a nasty infection but it's quite simple to identify so why there
has to be such confusion around whether to list it or not I do not
know."

Dr Alison McCallum, director of public health at NHS Lothian, said an
internal review of seven death certificates with C.diff recorded on
them found only one had been filled in correctly.

She added: "Junior doctors are rotated on a regular basis as part of
their training, with the new intake reporting for duty with NHS
Lothian last week. This note was a reminder for their supervisors. 

"It is absolutely crucial for everyone – patients and their families,
clinical staff – that we get important things like filling out death
certificates right."

-- 
Regards
Pat Gardiner
Release the results of testing British pigs for MRSA and C.Diff now!
www.go-self-sufficient.com  and http://animal-epidemics.blogspot.com/