◎ 魏國金
Health officials have apologised after a Sydney hospital told a man to go home and take painkillers for a broken neck.
在雪梨一家醫院告訴一名男子回家,並服用止痛藥來治療骨折的頸部後,醫院主管出面道歉。
Thirty-one-year-old Paul Curtis says he went to Ryde Hospital late on a Friday night in late May with a painful neck injury.
31歲的男子保羅.柯蒂斯說,他因疼痛的頸傷而於5月下旬的一個星期五晚間赴萊德醫院求診。
He says he was forced to wait several hours and then told by the doctor that the X-ray unit was closed and he should go home and take some Panadol.
他被迫等了數小時,接著醫生告知X光室已關門,他必須回家,服用一些普拿疼。
Curtis returned to the hospital on Monday and a CT-scan showed his neck was broken. He was rushed to Royal North Shore Hospital, with a doctor there giving an assessment.
柯蒂斯先生週一回到醫院,電腦斷層掃描顯示,他的頸部骨折。他被急送至皇家北濱醫院,由那裡的一名醫師進行評估。
"The doctor said I’m lucky not to be a paraplegic," Curtis said. "Being told on the Monday afterwards that I am lucky to be alive ... you sort of go ’wow’." He says it should be mandatory for hospitals to carry out immediate X-rays on patients with neck injuries.
「醫生說我很幸運沒有半身癱瘓,」柯蒂斯說。「當週一之後被告知,我很幸運還活著時,你多少會驚嘆幾聲。」他說醫院有義務即刻對頸部受傷的病患進行X光檢查。
Ryde Hospital’s emergency department head doctor Peter Roberts says the initial doctor did follow guidelines but it is clear they need reviewing.
萊德醫院急診室主任醫師彼得.羅伯茲說,原先的醫師確實遵照指導方針行事,但顯然他們需要重新檢討。
"On behalf of Ryde Hospital we do apologise to Paul Curtis," Dr Roberts said. He says in future, patients with similar symptoms will be X-rayed.
「身為萊德醫院的代表,我們真的要向保羅.柯蒂斯道歉,」羅伯茲醫師說。他表示,未來有類似症狀的患者將會進行X光檢查。
新聞辭典
mandatory︰強制的、義務的。比如︰the mandatory retirement age(法定退休年齡)
sort of︰有幾分、多少有點。例句︰I’ve sort of heard of him but I don’t know who he is.(我對他略有耳聞,但不知道他是誰。)
on behalf of︰代表……一方。on somebody’s behalf也有代表某人、為了某人之意;例句︰Don’t be uneasy on my behalf.(不要為我擔心。)
自由時報-980624
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