An investigation into the use of expressed breast milk after a hospital mix-up could reveal a lack of standardised procedure, the Queensland Nurses Union (QNU) says.
Queensland Health spokeswoman Dr Jeannette Young announced the investigation on Tuesday afternoon after two baby boys were given breast milk from the wrong mother at Caboolture and Logan hospitals.
One boy was cleared of any infectious diseases, while the other will be screened next week.
Dr Young said the investigation will look at the state’s procedures for storing and using expressed breast milk and will also investigate the cases of babies in hospitals receiving the wrong milk.
Health Minister Lawrence Springborg said while the protocols for using breast milk were very strict, human error was always possible.
“We’re dealing with people here who aren’t spin doctors – they’re real people – out there trying to do their job and sometimes they don’t necessarily execute these things to perfection,” he said.
“No-one went out there with any malice whatsoever. The risk of infection was always negligible.”
QNU spokeswoman Beth Mohle said it was important that health officials ensure best practices were being adopted state-wide.
Ms Mohle said it was important to learn from past mistakes.
“This isn’t a very frequent occurrence, but it’s very important to make sure that we have standardised procedures in place, across both public and private sectors,” she said.
“I think this investigation might identify that there aren’t standardisations of procedures, so it’s really important that we’re aiming for best practice in this regard.
“It’s really important that we learn from any errors that do occur and that it’s done in a no-blame approach.
“I know that our members would want to be involved in contributing their ideas and their solutions to any particular problems that are identified through any review.”