Bundaberg botch was human error
Authorities investigating an incident involving the use of unsterilised instruments during procedures at the Bundaberg Hospital have announced that human error was to blame.
The incident at the Queensland hospital occurred last year and put several patients in danger. A mistake during the sterilisation process meant that several appointments were carried out using unsterilised equipment; once the discovery had been made, all affected patients were tested for infections including HIV.
Fortunately, none of the patients recorded positive results but many people were left fearing for their health for a period of time between the initial announcement of the incident and the results of the tests being returned to them. Many patients also lost faith in the public health service.
In light of the findings of the report, which state human error as the cause of the mistake during the sterilisation process, Queensland Health has put additional sterilisation measures into place and provided staff with extra training. It is hoped that with the additional efforts being made by Queensland Health this will not happen again.
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