N.B. pathologists too busy to do peer reviews: expert
26.09.2008 11:07
Health
- Source: cbc.ca
Peer review is important, but easier said than done, said one of the pathologists called in to check Dr. Rajgopa Menon's work after the New Brunswick College of Physicians and Surgeons received complaints about him. Dr. Rosemary Henderson, a pathologist and the medical director of laboratory medicine at the Queen Elizabeth II Hospital in Charlottetown, testified Thursday at the inquiry looking into botched pathology tests at the Miramichi Regional Hospital. Henderson said setting up standards to review the work of other pathologists is a good idea, but for overworked pathologists, even taking the time to develop rules would be difficult. "So, they’d find it difficult, I think, to find people who might agree with the concept in theory and in principle, but just don’t have the time to take on yet another project," she said. "I can hardly blame other pathologists when they’re approached to do peer review to say, ‘Nope, somebody else can do that.’ I think they’ve got an uphill battle there." Henderson said more must be done to recruit more specialists to the area. But Henderson said pathologists also might not be keen to get involved in peer review because of the publicity, such as an inquiry, that might result from reviewing a colleague’s work. "I think, also, there may be some sensitivity on the individual pathologist’s level around how the results of a peer review are going to be interpreted, by whatever body does this, in that there may be some concern that there could be kind of an administrative overreaction or that, in fact, they were going to find themselves on the evening news. Again, not a comfortable position," she said. Henderson, who co-wrote the report that resulted in the inquiry, said that, in her opinion, what happened in Miramichi was "one person with competency problems and that's that.” Menon, now 73, worked as a pathologist at the Miramichi Regional Health Authority, which operates the Miramichi Regional Hospital in northeastern New Brunswick, from 1995 until February 2007, when he was suspended following complaints about incomplete diagnoses and delayed lab results. New Brunswick Health Minister Mike Murphy called the inquiry after an independent audit of 227 cases of breast and prostate cancer biopsies from 2004 to 2005 found 18 per cent had incomplete results and three per cent had been misdiagnosed. The inquiry was scheduled to continue Friday. Story Tools: E-MAIL | PRINT | Text Size: SMLXL | REPORT TYPO | SEND YOUR FEEDBACKRelatedInternal LinksN.B. needs standardized rules, regulations for pathologists: expertPathologists don't want to assess colleagues, inquiry toldN.B. pathologist had shaky hands, cataracts: reportHealth HeadlinesChina's tainted milk scandal spills into other countriesChina's tainted milk scandal continues to expand beyond its borders as three Taiwanese children and a mother are sick with kidney stones, a Japanese confectioner's cookies are found to be contaminated and the European Union joins other countries in banning imports of baby food containing Chinese milk. Mothers of disabled children juggle work schedules: StatsCanThe parents of three out of five children with disabilities said their added responsibilities affected employment, and it was mothers who overwhelmingly said they adjusted their hours, Statistics Canada reported Thursday.Eating fish in infancy may help reduce eczema risk: studyFeeding infants fish before they reach nine months of age may help reduce their risk of developing eczema, a Swedish study suggests.Canada recalls White Rabbit candies over melamine concernsWhite Rabbit candies, popular Chinese confections that may be tainted with melamine, are being recalled, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency said Thursday.Food recalls grow in Chinese tainted milk crisisFood recalls expanded in Europe and Asia on Thursday as an industrial chemical linked to the deaths of four babies turned up in candies and other Chinese-made exports that were quickly pulled from store shelves. Health FeaturesHEALTHMultiple sclerosisHigh rates in Canada and around the worldIN DEPTHSafetyText messaging becomes a road hazardHEALTHPain pillsPros and cons of three popular pain relieversHEALTHExerciseFitness boot camps: Cross-training pulls in recruitsMEDICAL RESEARCHBrain banksCrucial for research, clamouring for donorsHEALTH & FITNESSPeter HadzipetrosZorba the obesePeople who read this also read …
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