Patient injected 10 times prescribed sedative dosage

Tuen Mun Hospital revealed on Friday that a patient was administered 10 times the prescribed dose of a sedative last month. The hospital said the patient is in stable condition. Tuen Mun Hospital said the individual sought treatment at its accident and emergency department on October 18 and was arranged to transfer to intensive care because of a medical condition. "While in the accident and emergency department, the patient was prescribed sedatives to assist with the subsequent medical procedures. Before being transferred to the intensive care unit, medical staff discovered that the dosage of the sedative injection received by the patient was 10 times the prescribed dosage," a hospital spokesperson said. The patient did not show any abnormal reaction, and is now staying in a general ward. "The hospital is very concerned about the incident, and has contacted the patient's family to explain and apologise," the spokesperson added. The hospital said it had reminded staff to follow guidelines on the injection of drugs, while vowing to review the workflow of the accident and emergency unit. Tuen Mun Hospital has reported the case to the Hospital Authority, and set up a committee to the investigate the root cause and make recommendations for improvements.