A lack of team spirit among frontline health care staff is the main reason for some of the recent medical blunders, a hospital chief said.
A spate of incidents at public hospitals, including medication errors and the misidentification of a baby, has caused public concern and prompted Secretary for Food and Health Dr York Chow Yat-ngok to call for improvements.
Fung Hong, the chief executive of the New Territories East cluster of hospitals, where two of the errors occurred, said most medical blunders were not the result of problems with individuals or the system, but of poor teamwork.
'The authority and hospitals have very clear guidelines and procedures. Nurses know the proper medication and labelling procedures. They are all very professional and they do care about patient safety,' Fung said. 'What I can see is a lack of team spirit on the front line. In some cases, health care workers do not show adequate co-operation and team spirit.
'Each nurse has to take care of eight to 10 patients at one time and they have to make hundreds of clinical decisions in each shift. It is not an easy job. If staff can remind each other of high-risk areas and possible errors, patient safety can be enhanced.'
Fung said the hospitals he is in charge of plan improvements to nurses' shift-handover procedures.