Original article (in Slovenian) was published on 07/10/2023; Author: Eva Gračanin
The Health Ministry has clarified that an anonymized report via the app will not in itself be grounds for action, but only a warning of a possible irregularity.
“Patients will be able to inform on doctors,” was the headline of a September 19 article on the Nova24tv portal about a new Health Ministry application for anonymous reporting of problems that patients, relatives and health professionals encounter during medical treatment.
The ministry announced in September the launch of an app designed to help them take corrective and preventive action, which would also serve as a learning platform for all healthcare providers: it says that good practice in dealing with problems will be shared with other institutions.
The option in the application to report a violation of patient rights is not new, it already exists. Under the Patient Rights Act, those who believe that they have been wronged can initiate a two-stage complaint procedure. The first stage is handled by the healthcare provider at the written or oral request of a patient, and the second by the Commission for the Protection of Patient Rights.
The ministry further clarified that the reporting of alleged irregularities is currently not completely anonymous since patient data is not anonymized until the stage at which healthcare professionals process the request. According to law, the first stage is handled by the health provider’s designated person for complaints, and the second by the Commission for the Protection of Patient Rights.
The ministry argues that this is why many problems go unreported, while healthcare institutions are afraid of sanctioning their employee.
They stressed that anonymized reports alone would not constitute grounds for action but would be considered as a warning of an alleged irregularity. If, during the procedure, it turns out that there was indeed a violation, they will react with remedial measures.
A violation is defined as any deviation from the standard of care and the expected outcome of treatment that has affected a patient, such as an infection during treatment, a mix-up of drugs or the loss of medical records.
The Alliance of Patient Organizations believes that the current system for reporting problems in treatment is not good: “There are several pathways, but there is no consistency, nor is it clear what will happen on any of these pathways.” They therefore support the new app.
The Medical Chamber supports the expansion of reporting of all violations and events. They said it is unclear from the information currently available on the forthcoming app who will handle the incoming messages, so it is difficult to assess its usefulness.
Domovina.je and Demokracija.si also reported that the new Health Ministry application is aimed at informing on doctors. They did not respond to the findings by Razkrinkavanje.si.
We have brought our findings to the attention of the Nova24tv portal. Boris Tomašič, director of the publisher Nova Hiša, explained that the claim that patients will be able to inform on doctors is true because the app allows this, adding that the ministry’s explanations are not sufficient. He added that anonymous applications are much more prone to abuse.
The claim that patients will be able to inform on doctors is manipulative. Patients can already file reports and the new app would allow anonymous reporting. Anonymous reports will only be a warning of alleged irregularities. If these are confirmed, action will follow.
