Healthcare professionals must ensure patients report problems with medical equipment to protect others from danger, a government agency has warned.

The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) says more patients needed to come forward with information about incidents they have had with medical equipment. There are 8,500 incidents related to faulty medical equipment every year, approximately 1,500 of which result in serious injury or death.

The MHRA has produced new leaflets and posters to highlight the dangers of faulty medical equipment and how people can report them.

The agency gave several examples where reports of faulty medical equipment have led to preventative action being taken. Last year a patient reported a problem with a blood glucose meter whose units of measurement had been changed, resulting in test results 18 times higher than what they should have been. This led to a small number of patients self-administering an insulin overdose and going into a hypoglycaemic coma. The MHRA investigated and persuaded the manufacturer to replace the defective meters free of charge.

In another case, a patient reported that heat pads for pain relief, which had to be heated in the microwave first, were exploding and could cause serious burns. The MHRA had the device removed from the market.

“By working with healthcare professionals to encourage people to report their experiences of faulty medical equipment, we can improve their safety and protect public health,” said Susanne Ludgate, the devices clinical director at the MHRA.

The MHRA said it is working with community pharmacists, GPs and hospital out-patient departments to encourage public reporting of incidents.

Source