BABY PAIGE REPORT IDENTIFIES 13 AREAS FOR IMPROVEMENT

Released on June 23, 2006

Health Minister Len Taylor today released the findings and recommendations of A Report Examining Care Provided to Paige Hansen by the Saskatoon Health Region.

The report was developed by Saskatchewan Health in response to concerns about the care provided to 18-month-old Paige Hansen prior to her being diagnosed with leukemia. It includes information gathered through a system review, undertaken by the Saskatoon Health Region, and through an external clinical review undertaken by a pediatric oncologist from Edmonton.

"We want to ensure that this report helps to bring good from an unhappy circumstance," Taylor said. "As a province, we are very concerned about the quality of health care available to our children. We want to ensure that we are delivering the services our children need."

The report outlines the chronology of events relating to the care provided to Paige Hansen in early April of 2006 by the Saskatoon Health Region. As well it details findings of both reviews, provides some context for the findings and makes a series of 13 recommendations (see attached).

The recommendations address clinical procedures, care co-ordination processes, protocols for access to care and communication across the continuum of care. The Saskatoon Health Region has already begun to implement some of the recommendations.

The report found that Paige Hansen's initial diagnosis was consistent with her presenting symptoms, which were not typical of leukemia. It also found that a factor leading to the initial delay in her diagnosis was that she seemed to respond quickly and almost completely to antibiotic therapy.

However, the report also points to a need for improvement in some clinical procedures, protocols for accessing care, co-ordination of care, and communication between care providers and with patients and families. It suggests that issues within these areas may have contributed to a delayed diagnosis for Paige Hansen and increased anxiety for her family, although the delay did not affect the prognosis for a cure.

"I am very pleased with the work that has been done to develop this report. It provides a very thorough look at the care provided to Paige Hansen and identifies areas where enhancements could be made in relation to the provision of pediatric care," Taylor said.

A root cause analysis process was used to gather information in the review. This process encourages and facilitates open and honest discussion among health professionals about how to improve quality of care. These discussions take place without assignment of blame, in order to ensure that people learn from issues and are encouraged to speak openly about them. Details of the findings identified in this process are confidential. However, high-level findings and all recommendations can be publicly accessible.

"As members of the health sector, we are all concerned about providing the best possible service and care to our patients," Saskatoon Regional Health Authority CEO Maura Davies said. "The root cause analysis process is very important because it allows us to gather information that wouldn't be available to us through other processes. The lessons we learn from the information we gather in these processes have a significant impact on service delivery improvements across the health system."

Saskatchewan Health has begun working to ensure that the findings from this case are communicated across the health system.

"This report will be shared with each of Saskatchewan's health regions. We encourage all of the regions to examine the findings and recommendations coming out of this review for applicability within their region," Taylor said.

Taylor thanked departmental and health region employees involved in the development of the report.

"I also want to commend the Hansen family for helping us understand areas for improvement within the health system. Their assistance throughout this process has been invaluable. We want to ensure that their experiences help us to strengthen and enhance the health system for all Saskatchewan residents," Taylor said.

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For More Information, Contact:

Joan Petrie Health Regina Phone: (306) 787-4083

Kerilyn Voigt Saskatoon Health Region Saskatoon Phone: (306) 655-3386