The report caused the patient unnecessary panic. This photo was taken by Zhang Mo, a reporter of our newspaper.
A 55-year-old Mr. Dai went to a certain oncology hospital in the southern part of the city to check for throat discomfort. The pathology report from the hospital stated that there were "abnormal large cells" in his neck. Believing this to be true, Mr. Dai suspected he had laryngeal cancer and immediately informed his family to prepare for his afterlife. On the afternoon of November 2, when he went to the hospital again for a check-up, he was told that the pathology report in his hand should belong to another patient. The hospital admitted that this was due to a doctor's operational error, which led to the mix-up.
Throat abnormalities alarmed the patient
Mr. Dai lives in Huairou and has congenital visual impairment, holding a second-level disability certificate. According to Mr. Dai, since September this year, he often felt throat discomfort, "as if something was stuck."
Mr. Dai went to Huairou District Hospital for a check-up, and the diagnosis was acute pharyngitis. The doctor gave him some antibiotics, but after taking them for a month, his condition did not improve.
On October 25, accompanied by his wife, Mr. Dai sought medical help at the head and neck surgery department of a certain oncology hospital in the southern part of the city. On the 29th, Mr. Dai underwent an "electronic endoscopy examination" in the laryngoscope room. A doctor surnamed Ni told Mr. Dai that there was a nodule in his throat, with its size and color temporarily unclear, and the results would be available in two days.
Mr. Dai said that because drug treatment was ineffective, he had already begun to suspect he had laryngeal cancer. When the doctor said there was a nodule in his throat, it made him even more fearful.
On November 1, Mr. Dai came to the hospital again, and the medical records room gave him two test reports: one "electronic endoscopy examination" report and one pathology report. The former showed that there was a purple nodule about 8mm in size visible in Mr. Dai's throat; the pathology report stated that there was a nodule measuring 1.5cm x 1.2cm x 0.7cm on the right side of his neck, preliminarily diagnosed as "abnormal large cells," requiring further examination.
"How could there be such a large 'abnormal large cell' in my throat? How is that possible?" Mr. Dai was full of doubts and asked his family to carefully verify the two reports. He found that the names, ages, and case numbers on both forms were completely identical and matched his own situation.
"Could it really be laryngeal cancer?" Mr. Dai collapsed onto the hospital stairs, his emotions hitting rock bottom.
Family members then went to the head and neck surgery clinic for consultation, coinciding with the "head and neck surgery day" of the department, with no doctors available.
Instructed family to prepare for the afterlife
"I am already blind, and if I get a terminal illness, how can I continue living?" Mr. Dai said that on the afternoon of that day, he informed his family of this terrible news and instructed them to prepare for his afterlife.
That evening, Mr. Dai returned home shakily, "After so many years of marriage, it was the first time I saw him cry." His wife said that all relatives of the Dai family subsequently arrived, consoling her husband.
Mr. Dai instructed his family to quickly sell his funds and distribute the assets to his children and grandchildren. He even called the leader of his company, informing him that he could no longer continue with the remaining work and suggested finding someone else.
Wrong report infuriates patient
On the morning of November 2, Mr. Dai went to the hospital for further examination according to the requirements of the pathology report. However, a doctor in the immunological laboratory told him that there was no need for further testing, leading to an immediate argument between them. Mr. Dai demanded an explanation from the doctor, who, after multiple checks of the pathology report, indicated that this report might not belong to him but to another patient. This response left Mr. Dai both shocked and extremely angry.
Mr. Dai said that after the incident, several hospital leaders rushed to the scene. After an investigation, they informed him that the pathology report did not belong to him, citing a computer system error.
Mr. Dai immediately went to the laryngoscope room and questioned Dr. Ni about the origin of the pathology report in his possession. Dr. Ni said he was unaware of the source of the report. "Dr. Ni said that based on his experience, the nodule in my throat should be benign and does not require further examination."
Mr. Dai said that the hospital's low-level error was hard for him to understand. He had no compensation demands, only hoping the hospital would strengthen management.
Doctor explains the error process
On the morning of the previous day, according to the content of the two reports, we separately located the two doctors responsible for issuing the reports, posing as family members of the patients.
Dr. Ni, who issued the "electronic endoscopy examination" report, said that if the patient received a pathology report, it was usually extracted from biopsy cells sent for inspection here. "I think his (Mr. Dai's) nodule is benign, there are no so-called 'abnormal large cells,' so I have never extracted any biopsy cells." Dr. Ni expressed that he did not know where the pathology report in the patient's hands came from.
Dr. Feng, who issued the pathology report, said that the outpatient doctor mistakenly entered the case number of a patient surnamed Liu as Mr. Dai's code. Since the computer system only identifies this code, the information on the pathology report belonged to Mr. Dai, but the diagnostic content pertained to the patient surnamed Liu. Neither the doctor nor the patient noticed this mistake until it was discovered through investigations across various departments.
"Because of the oversight, we have apologized to the patient for causing mental stress," Dr. Feng also mentioned that the mention of "abnormal large cells" in the pathology report does not necessarily mean cancer cells, hence the need for further tests was clearly written.
Yesterday at noon, when the reporter revealed their identity to verify with Dr. Ni, he had no objections to the content stated the previous day. Dr. Feng, however, declined interviews, saying, "If you have any questions, please contact the hospital office."
Hospital apology leads to understanding
At noon yesterday, Dr. Wang from the hospital office confirmed that the pathology report in Mr. Dai's possession should belong to a patient surnamed Liu, and the cause of the error was due to an operational mistake by the outpatient doctor.
Dr. Wang explained that when Mr. Dai visited the hospital's outpatient clinic, he presented his application form (internal circulation within the hospital), which included a patient's pathological number and case number. The attending doctor mistakenly wrote these down incorrectly and was about to correct them when a patient surnamed Liu entered the examination room. In the confusion, the doctor erroneously filled in the case number of the patient surnamed Liu on Mr. Dai's application form. The next day, when Mr. Dai came to the hospital for further examination, the pathologist verified the name and discovered the error in the report. Subsequently, the doctor took Mr. Dai to various clinics to inquire and confirm that the pathology report belonged to someone else.
Dr. Wang said that after the matter was thoroughly investigated, the doctor responsible for the pathology report had already apologized to the patient, explaining that just "abnormal large cells" cannot diagnose the disease, calming Mr. Dai's emotions.
Dr. Wang added that similar situations have occurred before, but the probability is extremely low. The hospital will penalize the involved doctor and the department. Additionally, the hospital has notified the patient surnamed Liu, whose examination is ongoing. The hospital will strengthen management to prevent such incidents from happening again.
Last night, Deputy Dean He of the hospital said that yesterday at noon, a special car was dispatched to bring Mr. Dai to the hospital, and they apologized again, gaining his understanding. Mr. Dai put forward several suggestions to the hospital, which were accepted by the hospital.
Reporters Han Dapeng and intern reporter Zheng Lei