South Australia’s health department is under scrutiny after potentially “miscalculating” the due dates of more than 1,700 pregnant women, raising concerns that some might have been induced too early. The revelation, brought to light by ABC News, has prompted SA Health Minister Chris Picton to order an independent investigation into the matter, which affected all metropolitan and regional public birthing hospitals over a six-month period ending June 5.
Ongoing Review and Immediate Actions
SA Health is currently halfway through its review of medical records to determine if any women or babies suffered adverse health outcomes due to the miscalculation. According to Robyn Lawrence, the department’s chief executive, the “majority” of affected women have already given birth, with approximately 100 still pregnant.
“Of those women who were identified as having their records impacted, we’ve identified no subsequent adverse outcomes in them or their babies,” Lawrence told ABC News. “Of those women who remain pregnant, we’ve covered all of those women, and they will all be having their records rectified.”
Lawrence added that the review of the remaining impacted medical records should be completed within the next few weeks.
Communication and Transparency Issues
Despite the urgency of the situation, SA Health has yet to inform the patients whose medical records were impacted. Dr. Lawrence stated that patients would be advised “in due course,” and reassured that there have been no detectable adverse impacts on the women or their babies thus far.
The Error in the Electronic Record System
An internal SA Health document, dated June 12 and marked as “urgent,” revealed that the department declared a “complex cluster incident” due to the potential miscalculation of the Estimated Date of Delivery (EDD) and Estimated Gestational Age (EGA) in its electronic medical record system, Sunrise. This miscalculation occurred when the estimated due date field was potentially overwritten by the calculation based on the last menstrual period, leading to incorrect data being displayed.
The error has since been fixed, but Dr. Lawrence was unsure how many of the 1,700 women affected had been induced as a result.
Expert Opinions and Concerns
Dr. Brian Peat, former head of obstetrics at the Women’s and Children’s Hospital, emphasized the importance of accurate due date calculations for safe deliveries. “We’re talking here about a week or two either way being potentially quite critical,” he said. He noted that if elective caesarean sections are performed even a week early, babies could experience significant breathing difficulties, such as transient tachypnea of the newborn (TTN) or, in severe cases, hyaline membrane disease.
Dr. Peat warned that “fundamental errors” could occur if ultrasound scans are not considered in due date calculations. He stressed the potential for “hidden anxieties” among mothers regarding their babies’ health.
Government and Medical Association Reactions
Minister Picton has tasked SA’s Commissioner for Excellence and Innovation in Health, Keith McNeil, with investigating the incident to determine “what happened, how it happened and the follow-up action that occurred.” The investigation is expected to take a couple of months, with findings to be made public.
Picton emphasized the importance of promptly addressing any issues within the medical records system and assured that ongoing reviews would continue to ensure patient safety.
John Williams, president of the Australian Medical Association SA, described the situation as a “huge concern” and expressed hope that no negative health outcomes have resulted. “It’s really important that people have faith in the system,” he said.
Next Steps
Minister Picton assured that any adverse health outcomes discovered during the review of remaining records would be communicated to the affected families. He refrained from speculating on potential outcomes but committed to transparency throughout the investigation process.
For now, Dr. Lawrence advised any concerned mothers and families to speak with their doctors or midwives and reassured them that impacted records have been reviewed and rectified. “If you’ve given birth and you’ve got any concerns, please reach out to your clinical team,” she said.
The situation continues to develop as SA Health and the independent review team work to address and rectify the miscalculation error.
