Hong Kong hospital reviews conduct of staff after patient, 89, dies amid lack of vital sign checks
- United Christian Hospital says it found male patient only had blood pressure, heartbeat and blood oxygen level checked once after being admitted
- Hospital service chief says lack of logged vital signs unlikely to have contributed to patient’s death, who is believed to have choked on his vomit
A Hong Kong hospital is investigating which of its staff failed to regularly monitor the vital signs of an 89-year-old patient who later died.
United Christian Hospital, which is located in Kwun Tong, said on Friday that it reviewed the treatment process and found the medicine ward patient only had his blood pressure, heartbeat and blood oxygen level measured when he was admitted on February 20.
The patient died two days later, despite instructions for his vital signs to be measured every four hours and logged on an electronic recording system, the hospital said.
“The patient only had his vital signs, including blood pressure, heartbeat and blood oxygen level, measured once, which was inconsistent with the attending doctor’s instructions to have a record every four hours,” said Dr Deacons Yeung Tai-kong, chief executive at the hospital.
He said the three nurses involved in the case were currently on leave.
“The Hospital Authority and our hospital are very concerned about this incident and are very sorry for the death of the patient,” he said.