Intended for healthcare professionals

Rapid response to:

Papers

Adverse events in British hospitals: preliminary retrospective record review

BMJ 2001; 322 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.322.7285.517 (Published 03 March 2001) Cite this as: BMJ 2001;322:517

Rapid Response:

Will the response to adverse events highlight double Standards?

Professor Vincent and his team have produced some excellent, albeit
worrying work in this study. Many of us who work in the NHS may feel this
is the tip of the iceberg - particularly if adverse drug events (as
highlighted in another response) were not included.

It will be interesting to see how Government and Professional bodies
will respond. Clearly prompt action can be taken in some cases - I read
this morning in the 'Metro' that the Medicines Control Agency has imposed
a ban on Traditional Chinese Medicines that contain a substance that was
'blamed for causing kidney failure in two women'. Perhaps this is an
indication of double standards? That remains to be seen.

Competing interests: No competing interests

08 March 2001
Janet Richardson
Chairman of the Research Council for Complementary Medicine.
Oxford Brookes University