Dallas Hospital That Treated Ebola Patient Reverses Story on Diagnosis Mistake: Report
The Dallas hospital that failed to recognize Ebola symptoms in Thomas Eric Duncan — the first diagnosed case of the disease in America — reportedly reversed its explanation for why it sent Duncan home on Sept. 25.
Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Dallas initially blamed a flaw in its electronic health records for miscommunication that contributed to the oversight, according to the Dallas Morning News. However, the hospital later said in a statement on Friday that Duncan’s “travel history was documented and available to the full care team in the electronic health record.” This means the maintenance of the hospital’s electronic health records was not behind Duncan’s missed diagnosis.
“There was no flaw in the EHR in the way the physician and nursing portions interacted related to this event,” the statement said, according to the newspaper.
Although Duncan told nurses that he was experiencing abdominal pain and had recently traveled to Africa, he was diagnosed with a low-grade virus, and sent home. Just three days later, on Sept. 28, paramedics were called to Duncan’s home in Dallas. On Sept. 30, Duncan was officially diagnosed with Ebola.
In the wake of the revelation, Duncan’s family in Dallas is currently under quarantine.
Hazardous material cleaners hang black plastic outside the apartment, now under quarantine, where Ebola patient Thomas Eric Duncan stayed in Dallas.
When Dallas Morning News asked whether Duncan’s doctor knew about his travel history, a hospital spokesperson on Friday declined to provide further details, and refused to reveal the names of staff members involved in his treatment.
Ebola, which has killed more than 3,400 people in West Africa, has become a top priority for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), as fears of an outbreak in the U.S. — on the eve of cold and flu season — has gripped the country.
Despite dire travel warnings and news of many casualties emerging from West Africa, there are bright spots in the fight against Ebola. A French nurse who contracted the disease while in Africa has reportedly been cured after being airlifted back to France on Sept. 19, and receiving an experimental treatment.
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