A symposium was held to discuss the ideal form of a ``medical accident investigation system'' that investigates the causes of unexpected patient deaths, and representatives of an organization formed by bereaved families discussed how to create clear guidelines such as standards for reporting accidents. We appealed for a review of the system so that an investigation could be conducted.
On the 12th, families of victims of medical accidents and others held a symposium in Tokyo to exchange opinions on issues and improvement measures for the ``Medical Accident Investigation System.''
This system treats the unexpected death of a patient as a "medical accident" and requires all medical institutions to report to a third party and investigate, but the decision is left to each medical institution. Family members have also pointed out that the system is not functioning properly due to the lack of support.
At the symposium, Masakazu Miyawaki, chairman of the Association of Medical Malpractice Plaintiffs, said that of the approximately 60 cases the organization consulted with, only 14% were reported as medical accidents, and 90% of the bereaved families were not reported in the questionnaire. I mentioned above that the answer was ``I was not satisfied.''
Mr. Miyawaki said, ``Under the current system, bereaved families are left out of the loop. We need clear guidelines, rather than leaving decisions solely to medical institutions.'' Mr. Miyawaki called for a review.
In response, Isosuke Kimura, executive director of the Japan Medical Safety Research Organization, which operates the system, said that the number of reported accidents per population varies by about five times depending on prefecture, and that `` It is clear that the response is inadequate.However, if enforcement is attached to the accident judgment, there is a possibility that the content of the report may become a mere token,'' he said, indicating that careful consideration should be given.