WILLEMSTAD - Severe shortcomings in the Coronary Care Unit (CCU) of the CMC (Curaçao Medical Center) in March led to the death of a patient, as revealed in a recent report by the Curaçao Public Health Inspectorate.
Following the tragic incident, the CMC immediately acted by temporarily relocating the cardiac care unit and conducting a thorough investigation.
This investigation uncovered several issues, including problems with patient monitoring, staff training, treatment protocols, staff shortages, and the availability of medical specialists.
Core Team
In response to these findings, CMC (Curaçao Medical Center) implemented a multidisciplinary approach as recommended by the Inspectorate. An improvement trajectory was initiated, and the CMC provided bi-weekly reports to the Inspectorate. A special Core Team was established to coordinate and oversee the improvements.
The measures taken included a thorough reorganization of the cardiac care unit, offering additional training for the staff, and adjusting work arrangements to enhance patient safety. The working relationship between medical specialists and nurses was also reviewed, and e-learning and practical training were introduced to further educate the staff.
Notable
A notable aspect highlighted in the report was the temporary merging of the CCU, the First Heart Aid, Neurostroke Unit, and Medium Care, which the staff found highly undesirable.
In response to this, CMC decided to separate the Medium Care department from the CCU in the short term and fully staff it, a step that had not been taken since the construction of CMC in 2019.
The Inspectorate for Public Health believes that, thanks to these drastic measures, the likelihood of a recurrence of a similar incident is almost entirely ruled out.