Manitoba witnessed a significant decrease in reported deaths and major injuries among patients seeking healthcare services last year. However, critical incident reports from Manitoba Health revealed that the majority of severe harm resulted from gaps and delays in care.
Comparing data from 2024 with the previous year, reported patient deaths decreased by nearly 24% and major injuries by 17%. These findings were based on a CBC analysis of quarterly critical incident reports between 2023 and 2024.
Critical incident reports are filed when individuals utilizing the healthcare system experience serious, unintended harm. They are used by the province to suggest improvements based on initial understandings of the incidents. It is worth noting that some deaths and injuries may have gone unreported and are not reflected in these reports.
In 2023, there were 42 deaths and 124 major injuries, including cases where faulty medical devices and delayed care played a role. Last year, 32 deaths and 102 major injuries were reported. Incidents included a patient’s death due to entrapment on bed rails and another patient being injured by a surgical item left inside their body during an operation.
The most recent report covering Oct. 1 to Dec. 31, 2024, highlighted eight deaths and 28 major injuries. Delays and gaps in care were common factors in these incidents, with missed treatment opportunities and delayed interventions noted.
Understaffing emerged as a major issue, with over three-quarters of reported injuries citing delays or gaps in care. Manitoba Nurses Union president Darlene Jackson emphasized the need for proper oversight from nurses and healthcare aides to prevent such incidents. She stressed the importance of consistent patient monitoring, which is challenging in understaffed facilities.
Despite efforts to address staffing shortages, including hiring new healthcare workers and targeting U.S. nurses for recruitment, frontline improvements have been slow. Jackson advocated for establishing minimum nurse-patient ratios to further reduce adverse events.
A committee has been set up to determine nurse-patient ratios, with input from various stakeholders. The ongoing survey, focused on acute-care settings, is open for feedback until Tuesday.
Jackson highlighted the ongoing challenge of maintaining downward trends in deaths and injuries without adequate staffing levels. While progress has been made, she emphasized the importance of continuous efforts to improve patient safety.
Health Minister Uzoma Asagwara’s office was contacted for comment by CBC News but did not respond immediately.
